Overview
- ASML says its EUV source can stably deliver 1,000 watts under customer‑grade requirements, with details presented at its San Diego facility by lead technologist Michael Purvis.
- Executives project per‑tool productivity rising from roughly 220 to about 330 wafers per hour by the end of the decade, cutting exposure times and lowering cost per chip.
- The advance comes from doubling tin‑droplet frequency to around 100,000 per second and replacing a single shaping burst with two smaller laser pulses.
- ASML sees a path to 1,500 watts and no fundamental barrier to 2,000 watts, though fabs and suppliers must prepare upgraded debris collectors, high‑transmission optics, new resists and pellicles.
- The announcement reinforces ASML’s unique EUV position as U.S. policy limits China’s access and funds startups like Substrate and xLight, with China pursuing domestic alternatives.