Intel $INTC Foundry has become the first chipmaker to ship high-volume logic products manufactured using ASML $ASML's High NA EUV lithography technology, the two companies said on Wednesday.
The chips in question are a portion of Intel's Core Ultra Series 3 processors, code-named Panther Lake, which are built on Intel's 18A process node. Specific layers of those chips are now being patterned with ASML's High NA EUV equipment at Intel's facility in Oregon, with products shipping to customers at yields that match those achieved on ASML's previous-generation platform, the company said.
High NA EUV — short for high numerical aperture extreme ultraviolet — is ASML's next step beyond its existing EUV lithography systems, designed to allow more precise patterning as chipmakers continue shrinking features on semiconductors. The equipment carries a price tag of around $400 million per unit, roughly twice the cost of a standard EUV machine, and presents technical challenges in production environments, according to Reuters.
Intel took delivery of its first High NA machine in 2024, installing it at the Hillsboro, Oregon campus where the company conducts its advanced process research. Intel Foundry was also the first company to install and accept the second-generation system, the TWINSCAN EXE:5200B, which improves on the original EXE:5000 with higher output, better overlay accuracy, and an upgraded light source, the company said.
The current deployment covers only select layers of the Panther Lake chip, not the full manufacturing process. Intel already uses ASML's standard EUV machines to produce the chips, and the High NA tool is being added for specific patterning steps. Deploying the tool on live production layers lets Intel and ASML gather real-world process data and tune the equipment's performance ahead of wider adoption in future process generations, the company said.
"With increased resolution and better process control, the introduction of High NA EUV marks a substantial development in semiconductor lithography," ASML President and CEO Christophe Fouquet said in a statement. "We are proud to play a role in enabling the smaller, denser patterning that will accelerate advancements in AI and other emerging technologies."
Naga Chandrasekaran, executive vice president and general manager of Intel Foundry, said in a statement that qualifying the High NA EUV process on select 18A product layers gives customers increased output while Intel develops future manufacturing options. Intel declined to comment on the announcement, according to Reuters.