英文【CSET】追踪极紫外光刻的出现

CenterforSecurityandEmergingTechnology|1

ExecutiveSummary

Thispaperpresentsacasestudyonthemostimportanttechnologytohaveemergedinthepastdecade:extremeultraviolet(EUV)lithography.In2019,whenthefirst

commercialelectronicsenabledbyEUVwerereleased,thetechnologywashailedas“themachinethatsavedMoore’sLaw.

”1

Alloftoday’smostadvancedartificial

intelligence(AI)chips,smartphones,autonomousdrivingsystems,andhigh-

performancecomputerscontainsemiconductorsfabricatedusingEUVlithography.TheDutchcompanyASMLhasemergedasthesolesupplierofEUVmachines,winninga30-yearracethatgrantedthecompanyamonopolyonsellingthetoolessentialfor

fabricatingleading-edgesemiconductors

.2

However,whileASMLgetswell-deservedpraisefordevelopingandcommercializingEUV,thispaper’sfocusisontheresearchcommunitythatsupportedEUVfromthe

beginning:theacademicsinJapan,theUnitedStates,andEurope;thepublic-private

partnerships;theconferences;andtheindustrycollaborationthatlaidthegroundworkforEUVinthe1980sand1990s.Withoutthiscommunity,“themosttechnically

advancedtoolofanykindthat’severbeenmade”wouldnothavebeenpossible

.3

Thispapertracestheacademic,government,andindustryactorsinvolvedinamulti-decademoon-shotprojectthatultimatelysawEUVascendfromaspeculativeemerging

technologytothemechanismthatmakesNvidia'sleading-edgeAItrainingchipsandApple’slatestsmartphonepossible.

CarefulstudyoftheresearchcommunitythatsupportedEUVdevelopmentis

particularlyrelevantforpolicymakersandthesemiconductorindustrytoday.EUV

researchbeganinthe1980s,whentheU.S.semiconductorindustrywastryingtofendoffascendentJapanesefirmsamidsignificantgovernmentinterventiononbothsides.Atthesametime,theindustryrecognizedthatanewgenerationoflithographiclightsourceswouldbenecessarytofabricatefutureadvancedchipstomaintainMoore’s

law.Similarcircumstancesexisttoday,withpolicymakersintheUnitedStates,Europe,andAsiaengagedinonce-in-a-generationeffortstoprotectandpromotetheir

respectivesemiconductorindustries,allwhileascendentChinesefirmsattemptto

challengeindustryleaders.Meanwhile,theentiresemiconductorindustryrecognizesaslow-movingexistentialcrisis:rapidadvancesinAImustbesustainedby

correspondinglyrapidadvancesincomputationalpower.However,theendofMoore’slawisinsight,andnotevenEUVcansaveit

.4

ThedevelopmentofEUVreflectsmanyoftheemergingtechnologythemesobservedinpreviousCSETanalyses

.5

Researchcollaborationamongacademia,industry,andgovernmenthasoccurredfordecades,makingprogressonassociatedtechnologiesin

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fieldssuchasmaterialsscience,plasmaphysics,andchemistry.Thisprogresshasbeendocumentedintheformofjournalarticlepublications,patentfilings,andconference

proceedings.Overtime,specifictechnologieswouldtransitionfromgovernmentlabstotheprivatesector,frequentlythroughpublic-privatepartnershipsandconsortia

formedtoaddressandovercometechnicalhurdles.Eventuallyaprivatefirmwouldassessamarketopportunity,makeinvestmentstoincreasethetechnology’smaturity,collaboratewithcustomers,andcommercializethetechnology.Governmentsupporthasalwaysbeenessentialatvariouspointsalongtheway.

BibliometricstudyoftheEUVresearchcommunityduringtheperiodwhenEUVwasstill“emerging”offersimportantlessonsforpolicymakersinterestedinidentifyingpromisingtechnologiestoday.Itshowshowacademicresearchtranslatesinto

scientificadvances,theroleofgovernmentandcorporatelabs,howinternationalresearchcollaborationsaccelerateinnovation,thepowerofpublic-private

partnerships,andtheneedforlargeamountsofpatientprivate-sectorcapital.Thispapercatalogsthismulti-decadepathofinnovation,identifyinginflectionpoints,

signals,andsub-innovationsalongtheway.Basedonthesefindings,thispaper

concludesbyintroducingasetofcriteriapolicymakerscouldusewhenattemptingtoidentifyfutureemergingtechnologies.

ThataDutchcompany,ASML,commercializedatechnologypioneeredinAmerica’snationallaboratoryecosystemandlargelyfundedbyIntelalsohasimportantlessons

forpolicymakersinterestedinprotectingandpromotingthenextemerging

technology

.6

Internationalcollaborationonemergingtechnologiesisinevitable,andguardrailsonthiscollaborationcomewithtrade-offs.Investmentsareanimportantsourceoffundingforinnovation,yetstrategicacquisitionscanfundamentallyalter

competitivedynamicsinheavilyconsolidatedindustries.Finally,emergingtechnologysupplychainsevolveandmatureintheprivatesector,whoseincentivesareprofitandreliability,notgeostrategiccompetitiveness.EUVtoolsaremonopolized,buttheEUVresearchcommunityandunderlyingsupplychainisglobalized.

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TableofContents

ExecutiveSummary 1

TableofContents 3

Introduction 4

BackgroundonLithographyandEUV 4

TheDevelopmentofEUV 7

EUVOrigins 9

FundamentalResearchandTechnologyDemonstration(1981–1992) 10

AppliedResearchandTechnologyDevelopment(1993–1997) 11

ConsortiaandIndustry-LedTechnologyMaturation(1997–2009) 12

Collaboration:ConsortiumFormationandtheGlobalResearchAgenda 12

Competition:EmergingEUVLeadership 15

CommercializationandHigh-VolumeManufacturing(2010–Present) 19

TheEUVResearchCommunity:CharacterizingSignalsofEmergence 21

ResearchCommunityCompositionandParticipation 21

ResearchCommunityPublicationsandTechnicalAreasofFocus 22

Identifying,Protecting,andPromotingtheNextEmergingTechnology 24

IdentifyingtheNextEmergingTechnology 24

ProtectingandPromotingtheNextEmergingTechnology 26

PromotingEmergingTechnology 27

ProtectingEmergingTechnology 28

Conclusion 30

Author 31

Acknowledgments 31

Appendix1.EmergingTechnologyAttributes 32

Appendix2.Next-GenerationLithographyandLightSources 33

Appendix3.ComparingEUVPublicationIntensitybetweenSPIEandScopus/Webof

Science,1994–2017 36

Endnotes 37

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Introduction

BackgroundonLithographyandEUV

Extremeultraviolet(EUV)lithographyisthelatestinnovationinalonglineoftechnicalaccomplishmentsthathavesupportedthesemiconductorindustry’sadherenceto

Moore’slawfromthe1960stopresent

.7

Insemiconductorfabrication,lithographyis

theprocessofimprintingcircuitryonsiliconwafersusinglight-sensitivechemicals.Thetechnologyfunctionsmuchliketheprocessofdevelopingaphotograph:Lightis

filteredthroughanimage(a“mask”inindustryjargon)containingacircuitpattern.Thatpatternisprojectedontothewafer,whichiscoveredinlight-sensitivechemicals

(“photoresist”).Thelightinteractswiththematerialsonthewafersurface,depositingthepatternasdesired.Thisprocessisrepeateddozensoftimesbeforethedesired

circuitpatternisfabricatedonthewafer(Figure1).

Figure1.ThePhotolithographyProcess

Source:Samsung,“Part4,DrawingStructuresinNano-Scale,”September22,2017,

/support/tools-resources/fabrication-process/eight-essential

-semiconductor-fabrication-processes-part-4-photolithography-laying-the-blueprint/.

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ThislithographicprocesswasfirstdevelopedforuseinthesemiconductorindustryatFairchildSemiconductorandTexasInstrumentsinthelate1950s

.8

Overtime,as

circuitsshranktothenanometerlevel,theindustrywasforcedtoadoptunique

lithographic-specificlightsourcesandassociatedtechnologies,becausethevisiblespectrumoflightexceededthewidthofthedesiredcircuitpatterns.Specialtylightsourceswereintroduced,allowingfordeepultraviolet(DUV)lithography.However,thelimitsofDUVtechnologywerewellunderstoodasearlyasthe1980s

.9

Knowingthecomplexityofthetaskathand,thesemiconductorindustrybegantoexplorethescientificandtechnicalmeritsofnext-generationlithography(NGL)forfabricatingadvancedmicroelectronicsdecadesbeforeitwouldbenecessary.

EUVlithographyrepresentsadeparturefromearlierphotolithographyapproaches

usedbythesemiconductorindustryinseveralimportantrespects,particularlythelightsource.EUVlithographyfunctionsbyusinghigh-poweredlaserstoincinerate50,000tindrops(eachofwhichmeasures30micrometers,or30-millionthsofameter)per

secondtogenerateextremeultravioletlight

.10

BecauseEUVlightisabsorbedbybothairandglass,specialmirrors,amongthemostflawless(asin,blemish-free)materialseverproduced,thenguidethislightthroughmasksandontowafersinavacuum

chamber

.11

Ultimately,thisprocessimpartstheultrafinecircuitrynecessaryfortoday’smostadvancedsemiconductors(Figure2).

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Figure2.ACross-SectionRepresentationofanEUVMachine

Source:MaartenSteinbuch,TomOomen,andHansVermeulen,“MotionControl,MechatronicsDesign,andMoore’sLaw,”IEEJJournalofIndustryApplications12,no.2(2022),

www.jstage.jst.go.jp/article/ieejjia/11/2/11_21006010/_article.

Fivethousandsuppliersprovide100,000parts,3,000cables,40,000bolts,andtwokilometersofhosingtomakeanEUVtool.Thetoolweighsabout180,000kilograms(200tons),andshipsin40containersspreadover20trucksandthreecargoplanes

.12

ASMLreportedlyonlymakes15percentoftheEUVtoolin-house,partnering

strategicallywithfirmsworldwidetosourcethehighestqualitycomponents

.13

ThishasresultedinauniquelyinternationalproductthatisDutchinnameonly.ThoughASMLdoesnottalkindetailpubliclyaboutitssuppliersandtheEUVsupplychain,Table1presentsalistofrecentknownsuppliersofspecificEUVsubcomponents.

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Table1.SummaryofNotableEUVSubcomponentsandSuppliers

Component

Subcomponent

Supplier(s)

MaskBlanks

Deposition

Veeco(U.S.),AppliedMaterials(U.S.)

Inspection

KLA(U.S.),Lasertec(Japan)

Blanks

AGC(Japan),HoyaGroup(Japan)

Mask

Patterning

Patterning

IMSNanofabrication(Austria),NuFlareTechnology(Japan),JEOL(Japan)

Etching

AppliedMaterials(U.S.),TokyoElectron(Japan)

Cleaning

SUSSMicroTec(Germany),AppliedMaterials(U.S.),SCREEN(Japan)

Inspection

KLA(U.S.),HMI(U.S.,ownedbyASML),NuFlareTechnology(Japan),Lasertec(Japan)

DefectReview

Lasertec(Japan),Zeiss(Germany)

Repair

Zeiss(Germany),RAVE(U.S.,ownedbyBruker),Hitachi(Japan)

Mask

Handling

Pellicles

ASML(Netherlands),TeledyneDALSA(Canada),S&STech(SouthKorea)

MaskPod

Entegris(U.S.),GudengPrecision(Taiwan)

CoatersandDevelopers

TokyoElectron(Japan),LamResearch(U.S.)

Photoresist

Photoresist

JSR(Japan),Shin-EtsuChemical(Japan),TokyoOhkaKogyo(Japan),Inpria(U.S.,ownedbyJSR),DuPont(U.S.),LamResearch(U.S.),

Gelest(U.S.)

Optics

Mirrors

Zeiss(Germany),BerlinerGlas(Germany,ownedbyASML)

LightSource

Laser

Cymer(U.S.,ownedbyASML),TRUMPF(Germany)

Vessel

VDLEnablingTechnologies(Netherlands)

Wafer

Handling

WaferHandling

VDLEnablingTechnologies(Netherlands),BerlinerGlas(Germany,ownedbyASML)

Metrology

HENSOLDT(Germany),ASML(Netherlands)

Source:Author’scompilation

.14

EUVtoolsaresoessentialtothesemiconductorindustrythatASMLhasbecomeatechnologyindustryleader:companiesthatcanaffordanEUVtool,whichreportedlycosts$350millionasof2023,areabletomakethemostadvancedchipsinthe

world

.15

CompaniesthatcannotaffordEUVtools(ormustwaitwhilethebackordersarecleared)settleformakingsecond-bestchips.ThisrolehasalsoputASMLinthemiddleofgeopoliticaltensions.Chinesefirms,eagertomaketheworld’smost

advancedelectronics,arecurrentlyblockedfrompurchasingEUVtoolsonnationalsecuritygroundsbytheNetherlands

.16

TheDevelopmentofEUV

ThefollowingsectionsdescribethedevelopmentofEUVfromchronologicalandbibliometricperspectives.EUVdevelopmentoccurredinacademiclabs,corporate

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researchanddevelopment(R&D)facilities,privatefirms,andpublic-private

partnershipsoverthecourseof30years.First,thechronologicalhistoryoftheEUVdevelopmentprogramispresented,highlightingkeycontributionsfromacademia,

government,andindustry,aswellasthecollectivetechnicalobstaclestheyworkedtoovercome.

SecondisabibliometricanalysisoftheEUVresearchagendaoverthecourseof30

years.MuchofEUVlithography’sdevelopmentoccurredinthepublicrecordinthe

formofpublications,conferenceproceedings,andpatentfilings.Theanalysisis

derivedfromabookbytheSocietyofPhoto-OpticalInstrumentationEngineers(SPIE),EUVLithography,publishedin2008andrevisedin2018

.17

Thismanualpresentsa

historyofEUV’sdevelopmentfromatechnicalperspectiveandwaslargelywrittenbythekeycontributorsactiveintheresearchcommunityfromthe1980stothepresent.Importantly,itprovidesacomprehensivelistoftheconsequentialpublications,actors,andnarrativehistory.

ThisbibliometricanalysisfocusesontheEUVresearchcommunity’saccomplishmentsduringthe30-yearperiodwhenEUVwasanemergingtechnology.Theanalysis

demonstratesspecificinflectionpointsandaccomplishmentsalongthewaythatcanbeusedassignalstoidentifyothertechnologiesthatmaybeemergingtoday.Italsoreviewspolicymakeroptionsforprotectingandpromotingemergingtechnologiesattheseinflectionpoints.

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EUVOrigins

ThefirstperiodofEUVresearchwasfocusedondemonstratingthetechnicalpromiseandfeasibilityofusingsoftX-rayprojectionlithography(SXPL)insemiconductor

fabrication.Thenextperiodfocusedondevelopingtheimagingsystemsandsystem

integration,andidentifyingtechnicalbarriersandpotential“showstoppers.”Fromthelate1990sthrough2010,industrysteppedinandfocusedtheEUVresearchagendaonsystemdevelopmentinpreparationforhigh-volumemanufacturing(Figure3).From2010tothepresent,ASMLhasemergedasthesolesupplierofEUVsystems,

successfullyshippingitsfirstallegedly“production-ready”EUVlithographytoolsin

2013.However,itwasnotuntil2019thatthefirstelectronicdevicescontainingEUV-enabledsemiconductorsbecameavailable.

Figure3.TimelineofEUVDevelopmentandNotableActors

Source:NelsonM.FelixandDavidT.AttwoodJr.,“EUVLithographyPerspective:FromtheBeginningtoHVM(ConferencePresentation),”SPIEAdvancedLithography,SanJose,California,2020,video,75:00,April28,2020,/conference-proceedings-of-spie/11323/2572271/EUV-

Lithography-Perspective--from-the-beginning-to-HVM-Conference/10.1117/12.2572271.full#=.

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FundamentalResearchandTechnologyDemonstration(1981-1992)

SoftX-rayreductionimaging,thetechnologythatwouldlaterbecomeEUV,wasan

ideaaheadofitstime.When,in1981,researchersintheUnitedStatesfirststarted

investigatingwhethersoftX-rayscouldbeusedtoimpartimages,theireffortsfocusedonapplicationsrelatedtoX-raymicroscopesandX-raytelescopes

.18

Infact,someoftheveryfirsttestsevaluatingsoftX-raysforimagingwereconductedattheMarshallSpaceFlightCenterinHuntsville,Alabama

.19

Atthistime,theleadingNGLtechnologywasX-rayproximitylithography(XPL).IBMintheUnitedStatesandNTTinJapan

wereactivelyevaluatingXPLforsemiconductordeviceproduction,thoughboth

companieswouldlaterabandonthetechnologyoncemanufacturingproblemswithXPLmasksweredeemedunresolvable

.20

HirooKinoshita,anemployeeatNTTwhoemergedasaleadingfigureintheEUV

lithographycommunity,firstbeganconsideringtheapplicabilityofthispioneering

researchforsemiconductordevicefabricationin1984

.21

CallinghisapproachX-ray

reductionlithography,KinoshitapresentedhisinitialfindingsattheJapanSocietyofAppliedPhysicsin1986tolittleacclaim:theaudience“seemedunwillingtobelievethatanimagehadactuallybeenmadebybendingxrays.

”22

ResearchersintheUnitedStatesexperiencedsimilarlynegativefeedbackinitially.EmployeesatAT&TBell

LaboratoriesapproachedtheU.S.governmentin1986,suggestingthatsoftX-raylasers,pairedwithmultilayerreflectors,couldserveasapracticalNGLtool.TheproposaltheypreparedfortheU.S.governmentreceivedan“extremelynegative”review,withthereviewersgoingsofarastosay,“Theprintingof0.1[micron]

features…wouldneverbeneededfor[silicon]integratedcircuits.

”23

By1988,researchersatLawrenceLivermoreNationalLaboratory(LLNL),partofthe

U.S.DepartmentofEnergy(DOE)nationallaboratorysystem,hadpickedupon

Kinoshita’sresearchandproposedthefirstSXPLsystem

.24

Theseresearchers,allof

whomwereaffiliatedwithLLNL’slaserfusionprogram,tookthispioneeringresearchonestepfurther,fabricatingcomponentsanddevelopingtechniquestoconduct

diagnosticstoverifySXPL’spromise

.25

Kinoshita’sresearchalignedwiththeseefforts,andin1989hepublishedapaperthatproposedoptimalSXPLexposurewavelengths,photomasks,andphotoresist

.26

Bytheearly1990s,researchersatSandiaNational

Laboratories(SNL),anotheroftheDOE’snationallabs,hadpartneredwithAT&TBellLabstodemonstratethefirstSXPLsystemwithalaserplasmasource.MomentumintheUnitedStatescontinuedtogrowastheU.S.DefenseAdvancedResearchProjectsAgency(DARPA)kickedoffitsadvancedlithographyprogramin1991

.27

Soon

thereafter,KinoshitaandseveralJapanesecolleaguespresentedarefined,and

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technicallypromising,two-mirrorimagingsystemusingSXPLinpartnershipwith

TinsleyLaboratories,aU.S.firmresponsiblefortheopticsusedintheHubbleSpaceTelescope

.28

Finally,in1992,IntelCEOAndyGroveapproveda$200million

company-internalR&DinvestmentintoEUVlithography

.29

AppliedResearchandTechnologyDevelopment(1993-1997)

ThesecondphaseofR&Dbeganwithanamechange:in1993theSXPLresearch

communitydecidedtocoalesceontheterm“extremeultravioletlithography.”This

decisionhadseveralmotivations.First,thetermEUVdistinguishedthisapproachfromtheXPLresearchstillbeingexploredbyIBMandNTTatthetime

.30

Additionally,EUV

soundedlikeanextensionofDUV,themostcommonformofopticallithographytheninuse(Appendix2hasmoreinformationoneachoftheselithographicapproaches)

.31

TheadoptionofthetermalsoservedtoremovetheassociationwithX-raylithography(whichdidn’twork)andcreateanassociationwithDUVlithography(whichdidwork)

.32

TheU.S.NationalEUVLithographyProgramemergedin1994.Consistingof

researchersfromLLNL,SNL,LawrenceBerkeleyNationalLaboratory(LBNL),and

AT&TBellLabs,thisprogramwasfundedbyDOEandsteeredbyatechnicaladvisorygroupwithDARPA,DOE,andindustryrepresentatives.TeamsatLLNLandSNLbegandevelopingimagingsystemsandthefirsttoolleveragingEUVtechnologycapableofpreciseoverlay

.33

Developmentofmirrorimagingsystems(the“optics”)wasamajorfocusofresearchduringthisperiod,withteamsatSNL,TropelCorporation,AT&TBellLabs,andSiliconValleyGroup(SVG)LithographySystemsallcontributingtoadvancesintheUnited

States

.34

RelatedresearchinJapancontinuedtobeledbyNTT,withincreasingparticipationfromHitachiandNikon

.35

EuropeanresearchintoEUVlithographyalsobeganinearnestduringthisperiod.

Notably,anEUVresearchprogramcalledEXULT—whichcountedamongitsmembersASMLithography,theFOMInstituteforAtomicandMolecularPhysics,Sopra,Carl

ZeissAG,andDelftUniversityofTechnology—beganaresearchagendafocusedon

“high-powerdebris-free[light]sources,precisionopticsfabricationandmetrology,anddefect-freemasks.

”36

Europe’sfirstEUVworkshopwasorganizedandhostedbyZeissin1995

.37

TheconcentrationofEUVresearchintheNetherlandsatthistimewas

notable.TheNetherlandswasseenbyboththeU.S.andJapanesesemiconductor

industries,whichwereatthetimeengagedinfiercecompetition,asneutralground

.38

Asaresult,companiesinJapanandtheUnitedStatescollaboratedcloselywith

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Europeanfirms.ThisheadstartwouldserveasaboosttoanemergingDutchcompanythenknownasASMLithography(laterASML).

ConsortiaandIndustry-LedTechnologyMaturation(1997-2009)

Bythemid-1990s,theInternationalTechnologyRoadmapforSemiconductorsforecast

thatanewlithographytechnologywouldneedtobereadyforhigh-volume

manufacturingby2005iftheindustrywastokeeppacewithMoore’slaw

.39

However,despiteyearsofexploratoryworkintoXPL(ledbyIBMintheUnitedStates),projectionelectronandionbeams(ledbyAT&TBellLabsintheUnitedStates),andshorterDUVwavelengths,nopromisingcandidatetechnologyhademerged

.40

Atthisinflection

point,DOE’sfundingfortheNationalEUVLithographyProgramended.Thisdecision,theresultofbroaderDOEbudgetreductionsinthe1990s,occurredatatimewhenitwascleartoindustrythat,ifanything,theEUVlithographyresearchagendarequiredevergreaterfunding.

ThedecisiontoceasefundingtheNationalEUVLithographyProgrampromptedInteltostepinandprovide“bridgefunding”tokeeptheU.S.EUVR&Dcommunitytogetheruntilamoreextensiveprogramcouldbedeveloped

.41

In1997,EUVLLC,ledbyIntel,wasformedtopushthisresearchagendaforwardintheUnitedStates.EUVLLC

quicklyestablishedacontractwithDOEthroughanovelnationalvirtuallaboratory

(NVL)structuretoensureclosealignmentwiththeresearchteamsatLLNL,LBNL,andSNLalreadyengagedinEUVresearch

.42

FollowingthecreationofEUVLLCintheUnitedStates,relatedconsortiainJapanandEuropesoonappeared.In1998,theJapaneseAssociationofSuper-Advanced

ElectronicsTechnologies(ASET)establishedanEUVresearchagenda,andEurope’sExtremeUVConceptLithographyDevelopmentSystem(EUCLIDES)wasformed

.43

UnliketheU.S.government,theJapanesegovernmentandtheEuropeanCommissionprovideddirectfinancialsupporttotheseEUVresearchagendas

.44

Collaboration:ConsortiumFormationandtheGlobalResearchAgenda

Withthecreationofthesepublic-privateconsortiaintheUnitedStates,Europe,andJapanin1997and1998,thesemiconductorindustrybegantopursueEUVresearchinamuchmoreconcertedmanner.EachoftheseconsortiacompetedandcollaboratedintheireffortstocommercializeEUVlithographysystems.Recognizingthemagnitudeofthetasksathand,theconsortiaestablishedmultiphaseresearchagendas.Whiletherewassubstantialoverlapamongthetechnicalresearchagendasofthethreeconsortia,

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eachofthemexpectedthatproduction-readytoolswouldnotbeavailableuntilthemid-2000sattheearliest.

Beginningin1999,anannualinternationalEUVworkshopwasheld,rotatingbetweentheUnitedStates,Japan,andEurope.Thefunctionofthisworkshop,aswellasotherindustryconferencesandexchanges,servedtoadvanceoverallprogressonEUV

researchbysharingtheresultsoftheirPhaseIefforts(describedbelow).Each

consortiumexpectedthatPhaseIwouldtakethreeyearsandfollow-oneffortsaimedatdevelopingacommercialtoolwouldtakeaminimumofanotherthreeyears,withEUVLLCaimingforafab-readysystem“onthefloorin2004.”

Japan,ASET,andEUVDA

Japan’sEUVresearchprogramatASETconceivedofanine-yearresearchagenda

culminatingwithcommercialtoolsreadyforuseinthemid-2000s.Theprogram

focusedonthreelinesofeffortinPhaseI:theexposuresystem(includingmirrors,thelightsource,andthemechanicalsystem),multilayermasks(includingmaskpatterninganddefectdetection),andphotoresistdevelopment.ASET’sresearchagendawas

coordinatedbyHirooKinoshita(whobythistimehaddepartedNTTfortheHimeji

InstituteofTechnology),withparticipationfrom10semiconductormanufacturersandtwoequipmentsuppliers

.45

Insomerespects,JapanhadaheadstartinNGLresearch:JapanesefirmsCanonand

Nikon,wholedinworldwidelithographysalesinthemid-1990s,werepursuing

company-internalNGLdevelopmenteffortsaswell

.46

CanonhadinvestedheavilyintoXPL,whileNikonhadbetonelectron-projectionlithography(EPL).However,bylate2000,CanonhadannounceditwouldceaseitsXPLresearchin2001

.47

Thecompanyarguedthatthislineofresearchcouldberepurposed,givingitaheadstartinEUV

work,whileNikoncontinuedinvestigatingEPLandEUVsimultaneously

.48

JapanesefirmsandconsortiacontinuedtoexperiencehaltingprogressinEUVandotherNGLtechnologies,whichultimatelyencouragedclosercollaborationandtechnical

exchangesbetweenASETandEUVLLCin2001

.49

TheUnitedStatesandEUVLLC

TheEUVLLCresearchagendawasthemostwellfundedandambitiousofthethreeconsortia.InPhaseI,EUVLLCidentifiedEUVoptics,multilayercoating,metrology,

masks,lightsource,photoresist,anddevelopmentofanengineeringteststand(a

prototypeEUVsystem)as“majortasks.”Moreimportantthanfundingwasthelevelofparticipationfromindustryduringthisperiod:inadditiontotheaforementionedDOE

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labsandIntel,ASML,Motorola,AMD,Micron,InfineonTechnologiesAG,andIBM

ultimatelyjoinedEUVLLC(Figure4)

.50

NocompanywasmorecommittedtoEUV

researchduringthisperiodthanIntel.PreliminaryestimatesfromIntelandthenationallabpartnersinEUVLLCputanannualbudgetataround$60million,anumberthat

wouldswellintothebillionsinthecomingdecadeasIntelcommitted“whatfeltlike