Belgian semiconductor research hub imec has recently achieved a major milestone in high numerical aperture (High NA) extreme ultraviolet (EUV) lithography, demonstrating single-exposure patterning capabilities for advanced logic nodes down to A10 and beyond. The breakthroughs were showcased at the 2025 SPIE Photomask Technology + EUV Lithography Conference, highlighting imec's leadership in lithography R&D.

Key achievements include 20-nanometer pitch line structures with a tip-to-tip (T2T) critical dimension of 13 nanometers using damascene metallization processes. Local CD uniformity (LCDU) for these 13-nanometer T2T structures reached as low as 3 nanometers, setting an industry benchmark. In addition, imec demonstrated direct metal etch (DME) of ruthenium (Ru) lines at 20- and 18-nanometer pitches, including 15-nanometer T2T structures, achieving 100% electrical test yield for the 20-nanometer lines.

Steven Scheer, Senior VP at imec, explained that single-exposure High NA EUV reduces processing steps compared to multi-patterning, lowering manufacturing costs, improving yield, and minimizing environmental impact. These advances support industry-standard interconnect technologies and advance the roadmap for sub-2-nanometer logic nodes. The breakthroughs were enabled by imec's collaboration with ASML and the EU-funded NanoIC pilot line, underscoring the importance of the High NA EUV ecosystem for high-volume manufacturing readiness.

Separately, imec announced on Monday (Sept.29) that Patrick Vandenameele will succeed Luc Van den hove as CEO, while Van den hove will become chairman of the board. Vandenameele, a deep tech entrepreneur with a PhD in electrical engineering from KU Leuven, previously held senior leadership roles at Qorvo and Huawei, and has co-founded several start-ups. As CEO, he plans to focus on enabling spin-offs based on imec's technology and expanding European access to advanced chipmaking.

Vandenameele noted the rising influence of AI on semiconductor R&D, highlighting growing demand from hyperscale cloud providers such as Amazon, Microsoft, Meta, and Google for energy-efficient, high-performance chips. He emphasized that imec's strategy under his leadership will leverage the High NA EUV platform to serve next-generation AI and cloud computing applications.

With these technical breakthroughs and leadership changes, imec continues to solidify its position at the forefront of lithography innovation and AI-driven semiconductor development.