$ASML Holding (ASML.US)$ At the ITF conference last month, i...

At the ITF conference last month, iMEC (Belgium Microelectronics Research Center), the brain of the semiconductor industry, announced A blueprint that transistors will enter the angstrom scale (A, Angstrom, 1 angstrom = 0.1 nanometers) after 2025, in which 2025 corresponds to A14 (14A =1.4 nanometers). In 2027, it will be A10 (10A =1nm) and in 2029, A7 (7A = 0.7nm).

At the time, IMEC said that in addition to the new transistor structure and 2D materials, a key link was the High NA (High numerical aperture) EUV lithography machine. The 0.55NA next generation EUV lithography machine I (EXE:5000) will be supplied by ASML to IMEC in 2023 and will be mass-produced in 2026, according to the company.

However, speaking to the media this month, ASML seemed to hint at an earlier timetable. The first high NA EUV lithography machine will be available for early access in 2023 and for customer development in 2024-2025 with mass production starting in 2025.