Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. (TSMC), the world's largest contract chipmaker, has dramatically enhanced its extreme ultraviolet (EUV) lithography capabilities since first adopting the technology in 2019. Over the past six years, the company has increased wafer output per EUV tool by more than 30 times while cutting scanner power consumption by 24%, according to industry reports.

TSMC introduced EUV at the 7nm N7+ node for HiSilicon's Kirin 9000 processors and has since expanded usage across multiple process generations, including the 5nm family and upcoming 2nm-class nodes. By mid-2024, TSMC operated about 200 EUV systems—56% of the global installed base—after steadily ramping capacity with each new fab expansion.

Efficiency gains have been achieved through multiple avenues. TSMC has fine-tuned exposure doses and photoresist materials, improved tool scheduling and predictive maintenance, and optimized scanner utilization. Collectively, these changes have doubled wafer output per EUV scanner per day compared with 2019.

One of TSMC's most critical advances has been in pellicle technology. Pellicles, thin membranes that protect EUV photomasks from contamination, have long been a bottleneck due to durability and defect issues. TSMC's in-house pellicles now deliver four times longer lifespan, 4.5 times greater wafer output, and up to 80 times fewer defects. To reduce reliance on external suppliers, TSMC plans to retrofit a 200 mm fab to mass-produce its own pellicles—potentially outperforming ASML's current offering.

The company has also improved photomask accuracy, defect inspection, and chemical mechanical planarization (CMP) to enhance yield at leading-edge nodes. Energy efficiency is another focus: TSMC reports a 24% reduction in EUV power consumption and targets a further 1.5x improvement per wafer by 2030.

By advancing both tool productivity and critical consumables, TSMC is consolidating its leadership in EUV manufacturing. As competitors remain dependent on ASML's standard technologies, TSMC's ability to integrate proprietary pellicles and optimize scanner efficiency may further extend its competitive edge in the sub-2nm era.