On one side, a plethora of difficult technological hurdles – such as the ones that will be addressed by the upcoming SPIE conference on advanced lithography. On the other side, major companies developing or using EUV systems – such as ASML and TSMC – confidently expecting that all those hurdles will be overcome. The current status of EUV lithography can probably be considered as a good example of the unshakeable trust in technological progress that has always driven the semiconductor industry. And evidence shows that this trust is well placed: 7-nanometer chips manufactured with EUV lithography are now in volume production. January 2020 earnings conferences from both ASML and TSMC offered some interesting insights on what the industry is expecting from EUV lithography, and the program of the above-mentioned SPIE conference speaks volumes about the challenges implied in those expectations.
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