EUV for dummies

Where does EUV fit in with the chip manufacturing process?

Chip fabrication is a complex, iterative process in which a chip is built up layer by layer using a variety of techniques. But in very broad strokes, for each layer, a pattern is ‘burned’ into a light-sensitive material, called the resist, and then developed. The burning part is called photolithography, and EUV is the latest photolithographic technique to be put into operation by chip manufacturers, although it’s currently only used for the most complex chip layers. For less challenging patterns, older (and less costly) lithographic techniques still suffice. As chip technology advances, more and more layers will be handled by EUV.