Extreme Ultraviolet (EUV) lithography: Going beyond 2nm

Advantest Talks Semi

Producing the world's most complex and advanced semiconductors isn't rocket science; it's far more difficult and getting tougher. For example, today's most advanced AI devices are made using a 5nm process. 5nm, which in layperson's terms, is equivalent in size to two DNA strands. Imagine somehow placing billions of strands of DNA in an exact and elaborate pattern, 100 layers high, in an area that's the size of a thumbnail. In short, that is the challenge semiconductor manufacturers face when producing the most advanced AI chips.
Production of today's most advanced chips uses a cutting-edge technology called: Extreme Ultraviolet Lithography, or EUV. Listen in as Mr. Toshimichi Iwai, Senior Vice President of E-Beam Lithography at Advantest's R&D facility in Saitama, Japan, explains the history and importance of lithography in semiconductor manufacturing and the vital role that Advantest plays in enabling next-generation semiconductor devices.
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Chapters

1. Introduction: Advantest Latest News and Junko’s Top 3 (00:00:00)

2. Lithography Overview Simplified (00:01:59)

3. Lithography Process Described by Toshimichi Iwai (00:03:06)

4. Evolution of Lithography (00:04:25)

5. Extreme Ultraviolet lithography is required for state-of-the-art (00:05:56)

6. Deep Ultraviolet and Extreme Ultraviolet: Very different (00:07:20)

7. Double Patterning and Edge Placement Error (00:09:23)

8. Numerical Aperture Explained (00:11:07)

9. Can We Go Beyond 2nm? (00:13:53)

10. Advantest E5620 DR SEM – Design Review Scanning Electron Microscope for reviewing and classifying ultra-small defects on semiconductor photomasks (00:16:30)

11. ASML, IMEC and Advantest collaboration on next-generation chip manufacturing technology (00:19:28)

12. Toshimichi Iwai’s Final Thoughts on the Future of Lithography (00:23:28)