The renowned Taiwanese powerhouse, TSMC, appears to be taking a different route regarding the adoption of High-NA EUV technology. Despite its history of setting trends in semiconductor advancements, TSMC has decided not to incorporate High-NA EUV lithography for its A14 process. Instead, the company will continue with the tried-and-tested 0.33-NA EUV technology.
This strategic move was disclosed at the NA Technology Symposium, where TSMC’s Senior Vice President, Kevin Zhang, highlighted this decision. While this choice might position competitors like Intel Foundry and certain DRAM manufacturers ahead in this specific technology race, TSMC believes there’s a more economical path forward.
The A14 chip manufacturing is set to begin in 2028, and TSMC has determined that utilizing high-NA lithography isn’t necessary for maintaining processing step complexity. The company’s goal is to manage the number of mask increments efficiently, ensuring cost-effective solutions.
One of the main reasons behind TSMC’s reluctance to adopt high-NA for the A14 process is the potential cost increase, which could surge by as much as 2.5 times compared to conventional EUV methods. Such a rise would make A14 nodes significantly more expensive, potentially hindering their integration into consumer products. By opting for 0.33-NA EUV, TSMC can leverage multi-patterning techniques to achieve the desired design complexity without the hefty expenses associated with high-NA precision.
While TSMC is not ruling out the use of high-NA EUV entirely, it plans to reserve the technology for its A14P node by 2029. This careful approach allows TSMC to focus on optimizing costs and chip design capabilities for the A14 process. In contrast, Intel Foundry, aiming to employ high-NA for its 18A process as early as next year, could gain an advantage with this technology leap, underscoring a noteworthy delay for TSMC compared to its rivals.
This calculated postponement by TSMC illustrates a clear strategic decision to balance technological advancement with economic viability, a move that will be watched closely by industry insiders and competitors alike.
