U.S. Establishes R&D Center For EUV Lithography
The center, called the EUV Accelerator, will focus on advancing state of the art EUV technology and the associated ecosystem.
By Mark LaPedus
The U.S. Department of Commerce and others have announced plans to establish an extreme ultraviolet (EUV) lithography R&D center in New York state.
The R&D facility, called the CHIPS for America Extreme Ultraviolet (EUV) Accelerator, is expected to operate within the NY CREATES’ Albany NanoTech Complex in Albany, N.Y. The center is supported by a proposed federal investment of $825 million.
The EUV Accelerator will focus on advancing state of the art EUV technology and the associated ecosystem. Used in a semiconductor manufacturing facility, EUV lithography is essential for manufacturing smaller, faster and more efficient chips. ASML’s EUV lithography scanners, which have been in production since 2018, have emerged as a critical technology to enable the high-volume production of chips beyond the 7nm node.
The EUV Accelerator will be operated by Natcast, a non-profit entity created through the CHIPS and Science Act. In 2022, the U.S. government launched a new program called the CHIPS and Science Act, which is designed to expand the production of chips and bolster the semiconductor ecosystem in the U.S. This includes lithography as well as metrology.
Natcast also operates the National Semiconductor Technology Center (NSTC), which is a public-private consortium dedicated to semiconductor research and development in the U.S.
NY CREATES is a non-profit group advancing semiconductor R&D and workforce development. The group operates at the Albany NanoTech Complex.
The EUV Accelerator, which will have initial operations available in 2025, will allow Natcast, NY CREATES, and NSTC members to work collaboratively to conduct research and development activities. Key capabilities at the EUV Accelerator are expected to include:
*Access to EUV lithography tools and next-generation R&D capabilities, including high-numerical aperture (high-NA) EUV systems, with standard NA EUV expected by 2025 and high-NA EUV in 2026.
*Spurring collaboration with industry, academic and government partners to advance technological innovation.
*Dedicated NSTC on-site offices to support Natcast and NSTC member researchers.
*Support for programs that provide, foster, and grow a workforce.
*Efforts to grow NSTC membership and engagement while fostering an open, collaborative R&D environment with all NSTC facilities.
The EUV Accelerator isn’t the only R&D center for EUV in the world. In 2024, Imec and ASML announced the opening of the High NA EUV Lithography Lab in Veldhoven, the Netherlands.
More EUV
In a separate announcement, researchers from IBM have disclosed new technical results for high-NA EUV. The results show a pathway for chips beyond the 2nm node.
“IBM has already achieved early demonstration of metallization of lines down to 21nm pitch that enables the continuation of copper damascene interconnects integration that IBM pioneered almost 30 years ago, unlocking the needs of semiconductor designs below the 2nm node and simplifying future nanosheet node technology,” according to IBM. “What’s more, the single-print 24nm, 23nm, and 21nm pitch interconnects have demonstrable and consistent electrical functionality.”
High NA EUV lithography enables continuous scaling of copper damascene interconnects down to 21nm pitch using single expose patterning. Source: IBM