Intel Corp.'s decision to bypass 157-nm lithography, announced Friday (May 23), prompted others to voice their own, sometimes angry, views on the future of lithography.
Some are claiming that Intel pushed the industry to invest heavily in 157-nm tools, only to pull the rug out from the 157-nm development effort, partly in order to swing support toward EUV lithography.

"A lot of CEOs at equipment and materials companies are scratching their heads right now, trying to figure out if Intel's decision spells the end of the 157-nm generation," said one source, asking not to be identified.

Peter Silverman, director of lithography capital equipment at Intel, announced that Intel will extend the argon-fluoride (ArF) 193-nm wavelength tools for the 45-nm node, rather than introduce 157-nm tools for the 45-nm node. Intel's decision to extend the 193-nm scanners was bolstered in part by expectations that 193-nm lenses with numerical apertures of 0.93 are feasible.

For the 32-nm node, extreme ultraviolet (EUV) lithography is the "preferred" candidate for the 32-nm node, Silverman said, adding that Intel is keeping its options open there as well. EUV lithography has an advantage in that, once developed, it can be extended for several technology generations, he said.

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