Optical Lithography
Optical lithography has been a key enabler of Moore’s Law, delivering approximately a 0.7× one dimensional node on node shrink for several decades and enabling integrated circuits that fuel today’s AI-driven computing. This presentation reviews key drivers of the electronics industry and the role of optical lithography in IC manufacturing, highlighting scaling through wavelength reduction, increased numerical aperture (NA), and operation near the physical imaging limit (low k1). Recent results of extreme ultraviolet (EUV) lithography using 13.5 nm light and 0.55 NA, capable of printing 8 nm lines and spaces, are presented. The scanner roadmap is complemented by metrology and computational lithography, together termed holistic lithography, in which sensors play a critical role.