Imec has demonstrated that conventional chemically amplified resist (CAR) technology can be extended to high-NA EUV patterning. At the 2026 SPIE Photomask Technology + EUV Lithography Conference, the Leuven-based R&D organization reported successful single-patterning of random logic structures with line-and-space pitches down to 22nm and vias at 28nm center-to-center spacing. The results indicate that CAR-based processes remain suitable for several critical layers in A14 and A10 logic technologies.
“We’ve shown that we can extend CAR-based technology, achieving pitches that weren’t accessible with CAR-based single-print 0.33-NA EUV lithography. CAR-based patterning is a well-established technology that has served the semiconductor industry for several decades, with proven stability and manufacturability. Our data proves that it remains highly valuable for the high-NA EUV lithography era,” said Geert Vandenberghe, VP R&D for patterning technology programs at Imec.
Imec’s announcement coincided with news that TSMC has embraced high-NA lithography, aiming for introduction into high-volume manufacturing in 2030. With this, all major foundries have committed to high-NA. Samsung has announced deployment of high-NA for DRAM manufacturing in 2028 and Korean media report that SK Hynix is on a similar trajectory.
