Imec Increases EUV Lithography Throughput With Oxygen Injection

Semiconductor Manufacturing Imec Increases EUV Lithography Throughput With Oxygen Injection

2026-04-23 Source: Press release | Translated by AI 2 min Reading Time

The Imec research center has developed a method to increase the throughput in EUV lithography. By increasing the oxygen concentration during the burn-in step after exposure, the required exposure dose of metal oxide resists can be reduced by 15 to 20 percent.

The Beforce platform from Imec.(Image: Imec) — The Beforce platform from Imec.
(Image: Imec)

Imec researchers demonstrate for the first time that controlling the gas composition during critical lithography steps can significantly improve the performance of photoresists in EUV patterning. Specifically, the scientists show that when the so-called post-exposure bake step—a heat treatment step after exposure—is carried out under increased oxygen concentration, the photosensitivity of metal oxide resists (MOR) increases significantly.

"We observe a 15 to 20 percent increase in photosensitivity when the oxygen concentration is increased from atmospheric 21 percent to 50 percent during the burn-in process," explained Ivan Pollentier, Senior Researcher at Imec, in the context of the SPIE Advanced Lithography + Patterning Conference 2026 in February. "This is the first demonstration that careful control of gas composition can significantly reduce the required EUV exposure dose." A lower dose means shorter exposure times per wafer and therefore higher throughput in chip production.

Graph showing the influence of oxygen injection on the EUV dose required for printing for both the model and the commercial MOR. At oxygen concentrations above 21% (oxygen in the ambient air), a significant reduction in the EUV dose is observed.(Image: Imec) — Graph showing the influence of oxygen injection on the EUV dose required for printing for both the model and the commercial MOR. At oxygen concentrations above 21% (oxygen in the ambient air), a significant reduction in the EUV dose is observed.
(Image: Imec)

Metal oxide resists are considered a promising alternative to chemically amplified resists (CAR), as they offer higher resolution, lower edge roughness and better structure transfer in thin resist layers. They are particularly suitable for high-NA-EUV lithography, which is required for the production of chips with structure widths of less than three nanometers.

The results were achieved using the Beforce tool, a research platform that Imec developed specifically to perform lithography steps under precisely controlled environmental conditions. "In commercial EUV clusters, wafers are exposed in a vacuum and then transported to the burn-in unit under atmospheric conditions," says Kevin Dorney, head of the R&D team at Imec. "Our Beforce tool isolates these steps from the cleanroom atmosphere and enables precisely controlled gas injections."

In order to make the results usable in production, Imec is working on a deeper understanding of the chemical mechanism during the curing process. Experiments with integrated Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy are currently underway to record chemical changes under different environmental conditions. Equipment manufacturers can use the findings to adapt their lithography systems for higher throughput and better stability. The Beforce tool is available to Imec partners for resist evaluation. Two talks on the research results were given at the SPIE event, which you can watch on demand. (sb)

The new generation of the EXE series, model 5200, promises a 60 percent productivity boost compared to the EXE:5000, according to ASML's CEO Christophe Fouquet. (Image:ASML)

Link: Paper 13983-36: Unraveling a new dose reduction strategy for metal oxide resist by the atmospheric environment of the post exposure bake

Link: Paper 13983-50: Chemical origins of environmental modifications to the lithographic chemistry of metal oxide resists

Subscribe to the newsletter now

Don't Miss out on Our Best Content

Business E-mail

Please enter a valid mailadress.

By clicking on „Subscribe to Newsletter“ I agree to the processing and use of my data according to the consent form (please expand for details) and accept the Terms of Use. For more information, please see our Privacy Policy. The consent declaration relates, among other things, to the sending of editorial newsletters by email and to data matching for marketing purposes with selected advertising partners (e.g., LinkedIn, Google, Meta)

Date: 08.12.2025

Naturally, we always handle your personal data responsibly. Any personal data we receive from you is processed in accordance with applicable data protection legislation. For detailed information please see our privacy policy.

Consent to the use of data for promotional purposes

I hereby consent to Vogel Communications Group GmbH & Co. KG, Max-Planck-Str. 7-9, 97082 Würzburg including any affiliated companies according to §§ 15 et seq. AktG (hereafter: Vogel Communications Group) using my e-mail address to send editorial newsletters. A list of all affiliated companies can be found here

Newsletter content may include all products and services of any companies mentioned above, including for example specialist journals and books, events and fairs as well as event-related products and services, print and digital media offers and services such as additional (editorial) newsletters, raffles, lead campaigns, market research both online and offline, specialist webportals and e-learning offers. In case my personal telephone number has also been collected, it may be used for offers of aforementioned products, for services of the companies mentioned above, and market research purposes.

Additionally, my consent also includes the processing of my email address and telephone number for data matching for marketing purposes with select advertising partners such as LinkedIn, Google, and Meta. For this, Vogel Communications Group may transmit said data in hashed form to the advertising partners who then use said data to determine whether I am also a member of the mentioned advertising partner portals. Vogel Communications Group uses this feature for the purposes of re-targeting (up-selling, cross-selling, and customer loyalty), generating so-called look-alike audiences for acquisition of new customers, and as basis for exclusion for on-going advertising campaigns. Further information can be found in section “data matching for marketing purposes”.

In case I access protected data on Internet portals of Vogel Communications Group including any affiliated companies according to §§ 15 et seq. AktG, I need to provide further data in order to register for the access to such content. In return for this free access to editorial content, my data may be used in accordance with this consent for the purposes stated here. This does not apply to data matching for marketing purposes.

Right of revocation

I understand that I can revoke my consent at will. My revocation does not change the lawfulness of data processing that was conducted based on my consent leading up to my revocation. One option to declare my revocation is to use the contact form found at https://contact.vogel.de. In case I no longer wish to receive certain newsletters, I have subscribed to, I can also click on the unsubscribe link included at the end of a newsletter. Further information regarding my right of revocation and the implementation of it as well as the consequences of my revocation can be found in the data protection declaration, section editorial newsletter.