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TSMC A14/A16 Processes Abandon High NA EUV Lithography
According to reports, TSMC has confirmed that it will not require High NA (High Numerical Aperture) EUV (Extreme Ultraviolet) lithography machines to manufacture its upcoming A14 (1.4nm) process chips. TSMC has announced that mass production of the A14 process is expected to begin in 2028.
Previously, TSMC indicated that its A16 process would debut by the end of 2026, also without the need for High NA EUV equipment. Kevin Zhang, Senior Vice President of Business Development at TSMC, stated, "From the 2nm process to A14, we do not need High NA EUV, but we can continue to maintain similar levels of process complexity."
This stands in stark contrast to Intel, which has aggressively adopted High NA technology in an effort to catch up with market leaders TSMC and Samsung. Intel was the first company to acquire ASML's High NA EUV lithography machines and plans to begin using them in its Intel 18A process starting in 2025.
The key reason TSMC has not yet adopted this technology likely stems from the high cost of ASML's High NA EUV machines. The price of a High NA EUV machine is reported to be approximately $380 million, more than double that of the previous generation Low NA EUV machines, which are priced around $180 million.
TSMC has clearly determined that using Low NA EUV lithography with multiple patterning steps is more cost-effective, despite slightly longer production cycle times. Additionally, by leveraging its current-generation equipment, TSMC will benefit from its established track record of high yields.
Whether Intel will continue to aggressively pursue this technology remains to be seen.
The first products based on TSMC's A14 process will not incorporate backside power delivery technology. However, the A14P process, which will support backside power delivery, is expected to be released in 2029. The high-performance A14X variant could potentially become a candidate for High NA EUV lithography.
Even if Intel and Samsung continue to use High NA EUV to push forward with cutting-edge processes to compete with TSMC, they face significant development cost challenges. Through their efforts in this field, they are paving the way for TSMC. When TSMC finds it cost-effective, it will likely adopt and deploy this advanced technology.
