Advanced Node DTCO in the EUV Era

Abstract

EUV lithography has finally made it into high-volume manufacturing and this has reset the approach to leading-edge Design Technology Co-Optimization. ArF immersion lithography multi-pass patterning was on course to push the technology design rules to be so restrictive, that design optimization would become a clear second priority. EUV lithography restores the balance between design optimization for performance, power, and area scale, along with technology optimization for yield and cost. However, due to the late introduction of EUV, this balance may be short-lived, and further rapid improvement in EUV lithography capability is highly anticipated.