High-NA EUV (TWINSCAN EXE)
Overview
The 0.55 NA anamorphic-optics scanners for sub-2nm chipmaking - at ~$380M each, the most expensive production tools ever built. The production-grade EXE:5200B installed at Intel in Q4 2025 for the 14A node; on July 15, 2026 select layers of Intel's Panther Lake (18A) chips became the first High-NA-patterned product to reach high-volume manufacturing. On September 8, 2026 Intel Foundry and ASML said more than one million wafers had been processed on High-NA tools across certification, R&D and those Panther Lake layers. As of Semicon Taiwan 2026, 10 EXE systems were running at four customers with three more shipping, July fleet availability was 84% (90% Q4 target), and the qualified EXE:5200B had reached 135 wafers per hour in acceptance testing. TSMC said on September 8, 2026 that it intends to use High-NA in high-volume manufacturing from 2030.
High-volume validation achieved via Intel Panther Lake (18A, Jul 2026); Intel Foundry and ASML reported more than one million High-NA wafers processed as of Sept 8, 2026 (certification, R&D and select production layers combined); Intel 14A risk production in 2027 is the next insertion; 10 systems live at 4 customers as of Semicon Taiwan 2026 with a 90% Q4 availability target; TSMC committed on September 8, 2026 to High-NA high-volume manufacturing from 2030, with a joint 12-inch photomask initiative (pilot 2031, production 2033); Reuters reported September 14 that Samsung and SK Hynix both set 2028 High-NA DRAM production, while Micron ordered tools without a date