- Have You Heard of Extreme Ultraviolet (EUV) Lithography? It's Keeping Moore’s Law Alive

Hi ,

In 1975, looking at the next decade, a guy named Gordon Moore revised his previous forecast of the number of integrated circuits in a microchip doubling every year to doubling every two years. Moore was not a prophet, nor a brilliant data analyst, but as his prediction held true, it later became known as a law.

The law has become more of a guide, influencing the policies for research and development of the largest companies and chip manufacturers in the world. And it, and a new machine helping to keep Moore’s law alive, are what your iPhone and those robots from Boston Dynamics with the best dance moves have in common.

Let There Be Light

First, we must understand lithography, an analogous method for making printed circuits. Technically defined, lithography is printing on a plane surface treated to repel the material being printed except where it is intended (or in the case of circuits, needed) to stick.

The use of light for this treating and etching process is common, but one machine, built by ASML, a Dutch company that has cornered the market for etching the tiniest nanoscopic features into microchips with light, is playing a huge role in keeping Moore’s law viable.

ASML introduced the first extreme ultraviolet (EUV) lithography machines for mass production in 2017, after decades spent mastering the technique, and the machine needed for the process is to put it mildly, massive and mind blowing. It’s expensive too, with a sticker price of around $150 million. TSMC, Samsung, and Intell are initial customers.

What’s the big deal with this machine, and why does it (and it’s future children) matter?

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