The strange way the world's fastest microchips are made
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Nov 13, 2024
Discover the fascinating world of extreme ultraviolet lithography, a breakthrough technology that powers the most advanced microchips. This method, involving a powerful laser and molten tin, creates intricate circuits as fine as a strand of DNA. Learn about the unique journey of this innovation, from skepticism in U.S. labs to its domination by a Dutch company. Explore the high stakes of microchip technology, its impact on AI, and the intense geopolitical competition driving advancements in this essential industry.
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Early Stages of EUV Lithography
Andy Haverluck, while at Lawrence Livermore National Labs, had the idea to use extreme ultraviolet light for etching microchips.
His idea, initially met with skepticism, gained traction after Bill Brinkman from AT&T Bell Labs showed interest.
insights INSIGHT
Securing Funding for EUV Research
Proving a technology's feasibility requires significant investment and resources.
Government funding played a crucial role in the initial development of EUV lithography.
question_answer ANECDOTE
Government and Private Sector Partnership
The US government, through national labs, partnered with private companies to explore commercial uses for research.
This collaboration, including research on EUV lithography, received seed money from Congress.
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In 'Focus: The ASML Way', Marc Hijink details the meteoric rise of ASML from a quiet town in the Netherlands to a global monopoly position. The book explores the complex technology behind ASML's lithography machines, which are crucial for producing nearly 90% of the world's chips. Hijink also delves into the geopolitical implications of ASML's dominance, including the company's role in the tensions between the United States, China, and Europe. The book highlights ASML's innovative culture, its relationships with key partners, and the challenges it faces in maintaining its technological edge and security in a highly competitive and politicized industry.
This is the story behind one of the most valuable — and perhaps, most improbable — technologies humanity has ever created. It's a breakthrough called extreme ultraviolet lithography, and it's how the most advanced microchips in the world are made. The kind of chips powering the latest AI models. The kind of chips that the U.S. is desperately trying to keep out of the hands of China.
For years, few thought this technology was even possible. It still sounds like science fiction: A laser strong enough to blast holes in a bank vault hits a droplet of molten tin. The droplet explodes into a burst of extreme ultraviolet light. That precious light is funneled onto a wafer of silicon, where it etches circuits as fine as a strand of DNA. Only one company in the world that can make these advanced microchip etching machines: a Dutch firm called ASML.
Today on the show, how this breakthrough in advanced chipmaking happened — and how it almost didn't. How the long-shot idea was incubated in U.S. nuclear weapons laboratories and nurtured by U.S. tech giants. And, why a Dutch company now controls it.
This episode was hosted by Jeff Guo and Sally Helm. It was produced by Willa Rubin and edited by Jess Jiang. It was fact-checked by Dania Suleman, and engineered by Patrick Murray. Alex Goldmark is Planet Money's executive producer.
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