en.Wedoany.com Reported - Intel Foundry has begun using ASML's High Numerical Aperture Extreme Ultraviolet (High NA EUV) lithography technology for high-volume production of select Panther Lake processors, part of the Intel Core Ultra 3 series. This marks the industry's first commercial shipment of logic chips produced using High NA EUV technology in high-volume manufacturing. The production targets specific layers of the Intel 18A process, utilizing ASML's EXE High NA EUV platform. Intel states that these process layers are now dual-qualified on both High NA EUV and conventional NXE EUV platforms, with products already being delivered to customers and yield rates essentially matching those achieved using the NXE platform.
This marks the first time ASML's High NA EUV lithography technology has moved beyond research and pilot production into a high-volume manufacturing environment. According to Intel and ASML, the initial application is limited to specific layers of the 18A process. This approach allows both companies to collect real-world data on system uptime, process control, and manufacturing execution while maintaining overall fabrication flexibility. By simultaneously qualifying both the NXE and EXE platforms on the same process layer, Intel can boost output while keeping options open for future process nodes.
Intel installed the world's first commercial High NA EUV tool at its research and development facility in Hillsboro, Oregon, in 2024, and subsequently became the first customer to receive ASML's second-generation TWINSCAN EXE:5200B platform. Compared to the first-generation EXE:5000, the EXE:5200B offers improvements in throughput, overlay accuracy, and light source performance. ASML positions High NA EUV as the next key technology direction in semiconductor lithography, expected to enable the finer pattern definition required for future artificial intelligence processors and other advanced chips.
Currently, Intel Foundry is using ASML's High NA EUV equipment for high-volume manufacturing of select Panther Lake processors, based on specific layers of the Intel 18A process. Intel reports that yield performance is comparable to production levels achieved with conventional NXE EUV tools, and the 18A process layers have been simultaneously qualified on both the High NA EXE and NXE platforms. Intel confirms that products manufactured using High NA EUV are being shipped to customers, utilizing ASML's EXE High NA EUV platform. Previously, Intel installed the industry's first commercial EXE:5000 tool and subsequently hosted the first EXE:5200B production system. The EXE:5200B features improvements in throughput, overlay accuracy, and light source performance. Intel and ASML state they will continue to evaluate the potential for broader use of High NA EUV in future process nodes.
Naga Chandrasekaran, Executive Vice President and General Manager of Intel Foundry, stated that by qualifying the High NA EUV process option for select Intel 18A product layers, the company's existing tool cluster can offer customers higher output while also developing cutting-edge options in performance, density, and manufacturing flexibility for upcoming nodes.
This announcement signifies that High NA EUV has transitioned from the development phase into commercial semiconductor manufacturing. Although Intel currently applies the technology only to specific process layers rather than entire chips, achieving production qualification provides crucial validation of High NA EUV's feasibility in manufacturing and accumulates operational data for larger-scale deployment in more advanced nodes. This progress also strengthens Intel Foundry's position as a leading manufacturing partner for next-generation lithography technology. Unlike Intel, other major foundries such as TSMC and Samsung are still evaluating the suitability of High NA EUV for future nodes. Broader industry adoption will depend on the economics of tool manufacturing, further improvements in throughput, and customer demand trends for future AI and high-performance computing chips.
