Oct. 23, 2025 –
EUV lithography has become the cornerstone of advanced chip manufacturing, and as the foundry race intensifies at ever-smaller nodes, major players are accelerating the development of related technologies. According to Nikkei XTECH, TSMC has significantly ramped up its patent filings in semiconductor lithography technology. Between 2016 and 2023, the number of applications nearly doubled, widening the gap with Samsung and Intel. Samsung, however, has also expanded its filings since the early 2020s.
The report analyzes patent applications filed in Japan, the U.S., Europe, China, and other regions, focusing on those categorized under the IPC code “H01L21,” which covers semiconductor lithography equipment, along with patents containing the keywords “Lithography” and “EUV.”