ASML and Zeiss Outline Hyper-NA EUV as the Next Step Beyond 0.55 NA

ASML and Carl Zeiss SMT researchers have published a technical paper that lays out a path toward Hyper-NA EUV lithography, defined in the paper as systems with a numerical aperture of at least 0.75. The proposal is framed as the most direct extension of today’s 0.55-NA high-NA EUV scanners, with a focus on keeping continuity with the current 13.5 nm EUV platform rather than shifting immediately to a shorter wavelength. According to the paper, a 0.75-NA system could largely reuse existing infrastructure, including EUV plasma light sources, mask technology, and much of the established scanner manufacturing stack. The authors argue that the move from 0.55 NA to 0.75 NA can be achieved within nearly the same system volume because it stays within the same folding geometry, unlike the earlier jump from 0.33 NA to 0.55 NA, which required a larger architectural change. The paper also details the trade-offs. Hyper-NA can either print smaller features at a similar image log-slope or improve imaging contrast at a fixed feature size, but it also brings tougher vector effects, questions around polarization illumination, and a sharp drop in depth of focus. To address those constraints, the authors point to thinner resists, tighter focus control, and a dedicated 0.75-NA micro exposure tool. The translated article was credited to the WeChat account Semiconductor Industry Watch, with authorship listed as ASML & Zeiss.