The race is underway to build the most important machine in the world

A microchip is an electronic lasagna: a transistor base surmounted by layers of data and power of copper wiring. An avant -garde processor can pack over 100 billion transistors, contain more than 70 layers and have more than 100 kilometers of wiring, all on a piece of silicon about 1 and a half the size of a standard shipping stamp. To build these tiny characteristics, a lithographic machine works in the engraved phase of transistor models and metal threads on a wafer, layer by layer. A single wafer can contain hundreds of chips.

The Asml tool is complex, but its basic principle is very similar to that of an old slide projector: light passes through a stencil to project an image on a surface. The smallest feature that an optical lithograph tool can print depends mainly on two factors. The first is the wavelength of light. Just like a finest brush allows more detailed traits, the shorter wavelengths allow smaller motifs. The oldest systems of ASML used the deep ultraviolet light (DUV), with wavelengths between 248 Nm and 193nm, producing small features up to 38 Nm.

To reduce the characteristics of the chip even more, ASML turned to Euv light, with a wavelength of 13.5 nm. While the EUV is naturally emitted in space by the sun crown, producing on earth is much more complicated. The EUV light is also completely absorbed by the air, glass and most materials, therefore the process must be enclosed in the void, using special mirrors to reflect and guide the light. ASML spent two decades to perfect the method that shoots laser with drips melted to create and generate this elusive ray.

The other dial that sets the size of the smallest feature is the numerical opening (na) of the mirrors, a measure of the amount of light that can collect and concentrate. The latest Asml systems, called Euv High-n, use mirrors with an opening of 0.55, allowing them to print features on small chips such as 8nm. To go even smaller, the company is studying what calls Hyper-na accumulating the opening up to more than 0.75, still using the existing EUV light. A higher na means that the mirrors collect and focus light from a wider range of corners, improving precision. This has a cost. Larger nas requires larger mirrors to intercept and direct expanded light paths. When ASML has increased the na of their machines from 0.33 to 0.55, the mirrors doubled and have become 10 times heavier, now weighs several hundred kilograms. The new increase of the NA will add only bulky ones, raising concerns about energy consumption.

Another obstacle is the price. Asml does not reveal precise figures, but his last Euv machine was almost expensive than his predecessor. An Hyper-Na system would be even more expensive. Although the company warns that there are no guarantees that have ever been produced, Jos Benschop, head of ASML technology, believes that a hyper-na machine could arrive within the next 5-10 years, waiting for the demand.

Some researchers already plan to go beyond the EUV light, aiming for wavelengths of about 6nm. This would require discoveries in bright sources, optics and photo-resistance (the coating sensitive to light on the wafer). Short wavelengths also bring new challenges, including “shooting noise” or random particles movements that lead the reasons. But Yasin Ekinci of the Paul Scherer Institute, a Swiss research center, sees him as a “plan B” if Hyper-Na cannot deliver.

While ASML pushes the boundaries of optical lithography, China – cut from the most advanced chipmaking tools – is trying to extract more from old ASML machines (capable of 28 Nm and beyond) can still import. An approach is multi-pitterning, in which a scheme is divided into more attack phases, allowing a machine to print the details two or four times smaller. Multi-patterning is effective, but adds complexity and slows down production.

China is also trying to build its lithography tools. According to reports, Smee, a state company, is making progress on a machine capable of producing 28 Nm chips using the DUV light. But the development of an EUV system is a completely different challenge. Jeff Koch of Seminalysis, a research company, underlines that in addition to mastering the same EUV light, China should replicate the vast supply chain of ASML, which extends to over 5000 specialized suppliers.

Asml’s domain in high -end lithography, therefore, seems adamant. But Canon, once a leader in the sector, is betting on an alternative. Nanoimprint Litography (Nil) Stamps Patterns of the circuit directly on the wafer, just like a print print. In theory, Nil could create characteristics with precision of the nanometer, offering a low -cost compact rival to the ASML EUV machines.

The nil process begins with the creation of a main mask that has the model of the circuit engraved by a radius of electrons. Subsequently, the droplets of a liquid resin are applied to the wafer before a mask rewards the reason for the circuit on the wafer. The ultraviolet light is then used to solidify the resin and form the reasons for the circuit, after which the mask is removed. This step is repeated for each layer of the chip. Canon estimates that its approach costs about 40 % less than a comparable machine from ASML.

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In order for Nil it becomes a traditional chipmaking technology, it must overcome several challenges. Defects are a great concern: small particles or imperfections on the mold can create repeated defects on whole wafer. Alignment is another obstacle. Since the chips are incorporated, the reasons for the circuit of each layer must align with precision. Any variation in the wafer platform or a slight misalignment between the mold and the wafer can cause nanoscala errors, interrupting the electrical connections. Canon says that his system reaches the precision of the nanometer, but keeping it constantly during production is difficult. So there is a throughput or how many wafers a car can elaborate per hour. ASML’s Euv High-Na tools can manage over 180 wafer per hour, with some older models that reach almost double. On the contrary, Canon’s latest Nil system manages only 110 wafer per hour, making it less suitable for the production of high volume chips for now.

So far, Nil has found more success outside the production of semiconductors, in particular in the creation of display for smartphones and other high precision components. Technology is now making its way in the production of memory chips, in which higher defects rates are more tolerable than logical chips. Iwamoto Kazunori, head of Canon’s optical division, believes that Nil can coexist with Euv lithography, performing the production phases that can and steer the finest details.

This innovation could help companies design faster and more efficient chips from an energy point of view capable of feeding a new generation of AI models. If ASML is not attentive, the most important machine in the world may not maintain its title forever.