EUV lithography requires high performance resists. The mechanism of light absorbance and acid generation is very different in EUV resists than in previous generations of chemically amplified resists. Resist absorbance must be driven up instead of down, which will require that new elements be incorporated into the resist. Some hafnium-containing resists have shown promise while maintaining a satisfactory etch resistance. These capabilities need to be built upon, and other metals need to be tested. The physics of EUV light and the small feature sizes involved also mean that the industry will be challenged to overcome noisiness, rather than grayness. This will require better understanding of LWR) and likely post-processing treatment of resists to improve the LWR and process windows.

EUV lithography is needed by the semiconductor industry for both its resolution and for the process simplification it provides compared to multiple patterning. However it needs many innovations to make it a success and is an expensive technology to develop. Major areas of concern are source power, defect free mask availability, defect freedom during use and resist performance. Long term it will also need improved mask and material technology for higher NA EUV imaging. SEMATECH is working on mask technology, defects and resist technology for EUV imaging and has developed new mask inspection technology, novel approaches to EUV resist, lower defectivity mask blanks and improved cleaning methods. SEMATECH's work enables the semiconductor industry to share the cost of developing EUV technology and accelerates the progress of EUV.