Chipmakers coordinate push for 12-inch photomasks to cut costs
ASML and TSMC have launched an industry-wide push to move to 12-inch photomasks, arguing the larger format would cut costs and remove production constraints tied to the firms' new high-NA EUV lithography systems. Intel Foundry and Samsung Electronics have also backed the initiative, which matters because it sets a coordinated roadmap for an industry transition that individual chipmakers would struggle to drive alone, given ASML's position as the sole commercial supplier of EUV equipment.
The scheme targets a 12-inch mask pilot line by 2031, with supporting lithography systems ready for advanced-node production by 2033. High-NA EUV currently uses anamorphic optics to keep working with existing 6-inch masks, but this halves the exposure field, forcing large chip designs to be "stitched" together from two exposures, adding complexity. TSMC plans to adopt high-NA EUV in high-volume manufacturing from 2030, Samsung aims to be first to use it for DRAM by 2028, and Intel Foundry is focused on near-term enablement on 6-inch masks while transitioning to the larger format.
In short
- ASML, TSMC push for 12-inch photomasks to cut chipmaking costs
- Intel Foundry and Samsung also back the transition plan
- Pilot line targeted for 2031, production-ready systems by 2033
Steelman: both sides, in good faith
The strongest fair case each way — we don't pick a winner.
The case for
A coordinated move to 12-inch photomasks could lower costs and ease constraints that limit high-NA EUV production, while reducing the need to stitch together exposures for large designs. Shared industry investment and a common timetable may make the transition practical for suppliers and chipmakers that could not drive it alone, supporting wider adoption of advanced manufacturing.
The case against
A costly industry-wide transition could divert investment from near-term improvements, especially while high-NA EUV can already operate with existing 6-inch masks. The pilot line is not planned until 2031, with production-ready systems targeted for 2033, so the benefits are distant and uncertain; coordinating around a common format could also narrow flexibility if the technology or manufacturing needs change.
Explained simply
Photomasks are patterned templates used to project circuit designs onto silicon wafers during chipmaking. Today’s high-NA EUV systems, which use especially precise light to make smaller features, are designed to work with 6-inch masks; their optics reduce the area printed in each exposure, so some large designs need two exposures joined together.
ASML makes the EUV equipment, while TSMC, Samsung Electronics and Intel Foundry are among the chipmakers developing and manufacturing chips with it. Moving to larger masks would require equipment and production changes across the industry, so a shared plan matters: no single chipmaker can set the transition on its own.
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Originally published by The Register as “ASML and TSMC want bigger masks for smaller chips”.