By Vivek Bakshi, EUV Litho, Inc.

This year started with an announcement, during the SPIE AL Conference, of the achievement of 100 W+ power from high volume manufacturing (HVM) EUV sources in the fab. One hundred watts at intermediate focus has been a long-standing benchmark and is a definite success, and we also can be sure that source power and availability will increase this year. The focus will now change to addressing the remaining challenges of EUVL, with questions turning on what comes next and when, as the industry prepares to deploy EUVL into HVM.

During the 2015 EUVL Workshop (June 15-19, 2015), we expect to get answers to these questions in the various keynote and invited talks. And to make sure the best information is available, we are also having a panel discussion that will address the following questions:

1. When do you expect the industry to insert EUVL into high volume manufacturing (year and process node)?

2. What are the top three challenges (technical and business) that need to be addressed to ensure readiness of EUVL for HVM? (Some examples of technical challenges are source power and availability, pellicles, mask inspection infrastructure and high absorption resists. An example of a business challenge is readiness of PMI tools.)

3. How will the industry achieve the following targets for EUV Source power: 250 W, 500 W and 1000 W?

4. When do you think that HVM worthy EUV resists with sensitivity of <5 mJ will be ready?

5. For extension of EUVL to smaller nodes, what are the pros and cons of High NA vs. Double Patterning?

6. If the industry had to start all over again to develop EUVL for HVM, what are the top three things you think should be done differently?

We hope you will join us in the Workshop as experts present their responses on these topics and answer  questions from the audience. More information on the Workshop, including the agenda and abstract book, is available on our website www.euvlitho.com.

The EUVL Workshop will be relocated from Maui to the U.S. mainland in 2016.