TSMC still requires some double patterning at N7+
By Rick Merritt, EETimes
May 3, 2019
SAN JOSE, Calif. – Extreme ultraviolet (EUV) lithography is “ready for introduction…and running in volume for technology development,” said the head of Intel’s EUV program. But engineers still face several challenges harnessing the complex and costly systems to make leading-edge chips in high volume, she said.
Britt Turkot, a fellow and director of EUV at Intel, said the room-sized systems are running in its giant Portland, Oregon fab. She would not say how or if EUV will be used for the company’s 10nm products ramping now or its planned 7nm node.
Intel was among the semiconductor companies that helped pioneer the technology more than two decades ago, but is among the last to confirm its use. Last year, rival Samsung and TSMC separately announced they were ramping 7nm nodes using EUV systems to print their finest features.