TSMC to Begin Full-Scale Mass Production Deployment of High-NA EUV in 2030, Accelerating Competition in Ultra-Fine Processing

[Financial News] Following Intel and Samsung Electronics, Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company Limited (TSMC) will begin fully deploying ASML Holding N.V. (ASML)’s next-generation High-NA EUV lithography system on mass-production lines in 2030. With the world’s largest foundry company also deciding to use High-NA EUV, competition over ultra-fine semiconductor processing technology is expected to intensify.
According to CNBC, Yonhap News and other foreign media outlets on the 15th, TSMC officially announced that it would apply the High-NA EUV lithography system to mass-production lines starting in 2030.
According to TSMC’s roadmap, the company plans to use existing Low-NA EUV equipment through the A12 Technology and A13 processes, which are scheduled to enter mass production in 2029. Accordingly, High-NA EUV is expected to be applied to A10 or A11, corresponding to the 1-nanometer and 1.1-nanometer classes.
High-NA EUV is equipment that uses extreme ultraviolet light to etch semiconductor circuits onto wafers and can draw line widths as narrow as 13.5 nm in a single exposure. With multipatterning, it can produce circuits as small as 2 nm. Existing EUV equipment requires four multipatterning steps to achieve 2 nm, whereas High-NA EUV could theoretically cut the number of process steps in half. Although next-generation lithography equipment costs more than 500 billion won, analysts say that successfully halving the number of process steps and achieving mass production could significantly reduce costs while increasing productivity.
TSMC had reportedly remained cautious about adopting High-NA EUV, saying that its benefits were insufficient relative to the cost. However, its latest decision means the company is joining the race to develop ultra-fine processing technology, and competition among global semiconductor companies is expected to become even fiercer.
Samsung Electronics brought the first High-NA EUV equipment into South Korea in March last year and plans to apply it to mass-produced DRAM products in 2028, making it the first company in the world to do so. Its strategy is to secure a clear advantage in the next-generation DRAM scaling race by proactively verifying process conditions, yield and productivity through actual mass-produced products. SK hynix also plans to apply High-NA EUV to DRAM products in 2028.
Intel was the first company to introduce High-NA EUV, doing so in 2023. Intel initially planned to retain existing equipment for its 1.8-nanometer-class Intel 18A process and make full use of High-NA EUV in subsequent processes.
However, when ASML disclosed in July that Intel Foundry was mass-producing products using High-NA EUV in the Intel 18A process, the technology was recognized as being usable in actual mass-production environments beyond the research and development stage. An industry official said, "As technology advances, process nodes are becoming smaller and EUV equipment has become increasingly important. How extensively EUV equipment is used for patterning is key to scaling processes, making the adoption of next-generation EUV equipment essential."
[email protected] So-hyun Park Reporter