KEIDS3-1680
Enabling High-NA EUV Lithography: Advances in Patterning Materials for High-Volume Manufacturing and Beyond
Topic
IDS3. Photoresist: 50 Years of Innovation and the Next 50 Years (Sponsored by DONGJIN SEMICHEM)
When and Where
Sep 29, 2026
11:50 - 12:20
Room 201
Session Chairs
Jin-Kyun LEE
Presenter(s)
Hyo Seon Suh (imec)
Co-Author(s)
Abstract
The introduction of High-NA EUV lithography marks a major milestone for future semiconductor technology nodes while creating new challenges for patterning materials and integration. Continued scaling requires innovation across the patterning stack, including photoresists, underlayers, pattern transfer materials, metrology, and process integration.
As a leading collaborative R&D hub, imec accelerates innovation through its open patterning ecosystem, bringing together equipment suppliers, material vendors, chip manufacturers, and academia. Combining advanced EUV infrastructure with comprehensive evaluation capabilities, imec enables rapid development and assessment of next-generation patterning solutions.
This presentation will discuss key challenges associated with High-NA EUV adoption, particularly the impact of reduced depth of focus (DoF) on materials and process integration. Trade-offs among resolution, sensitivity, roughness, stochastic defects, pattern collapse, and etch performance will be examined, together with emerging considerations such as material mechanical properties and defectivity.
Recent progress from imec's Advanced Patterning Program will be highlighted, including advances in chemically amplified, metal-containing, and hybrid resist platforms, novel underlayers, and process integration strategies aimed at extending EUV patterning capability.
Directed Self-Assembly (DSA) will also be discussed as a potential complementary approach for addressing selected patterning challenges in the High-NA EUV era.
Looking toward the next 50 years of photoresist innovation, ecosystem-driven collaboration will remain essential for transforming materials breakthroughs into manufacturable semiconductor technologies.
As a leading collaborative R&D hub, imec accelerates innovation through its open patterning ecosystem, bringing together equipment suppliers, material vendors, chip manufacturers, and academia. Combining advanced EUV infrastructure with comprehensive evaluation capabilities, imec enables rapid development and assessment of next-generation patterning solutions.
This presentation will discuss key challenges associated with High-NA EUV adoption, particularly the impact of reduced depth of focus (DoF) on materials and process integration. Trade-offs among resolution, sensitivity, roughness, stochastic defects, pattern collapse, and etch performance will be examined, together with emerging considerations such as material mechanical properties and defectivity.
Recent progress from imec's Advanced Patterning Program will be highlighted, including advances in chemically amplified, metal-containing, and hybrid resist platforms, novel underlayers, and process integration strategies aimed at extending EUV patterning capability.
Directed Self-Assembly (DSA) will also be discussed as a potential complementary approach for addressing selected patterning challenges in the High-NA EUV era.
Looking toward the next 50 years of photoresist innovation, ecosystem-driven collaboration will remain essential for transforming materials breakthroughs into manufacturable semiconductor technologies.
