Asianometry TSMC's Incredible 2nm Curvy Masks
8 snips
Nov 3, 2025 TSMC's groundbreaking 2nm process node introduces Gate-All-Around transistors alongside innovative curvilinear photomasks. These curved masks are a game-changer, enhancing the manufacturing capabilities for GPUs. The podcast dives into the complexities of photolithography, resolution challenges at smaller nodes, and how inverse lithography technology is changing the mask-making landscape. With advancements in multi-beam mask writers and the demand from AI accelerator chips, the future of semiconductor manufacturing looks promising!
AI Snips
Chapters
Transcript
Episode notes
Masks Are Precious And Vulnerable
- Photomasks are extremely valuable and fragile, with full sets costing tens of millions and holding critical IP.
- Mask shops face environmental and magnetic risks that can ruin a mask and costly wafer runs.
RETs Bridge Optical Limits
- Optical limits force use of resolution enhancement techniques (RETs) as wavelengths can't shrink every node.
- RETs evolved from simple heuristics to complex computed adjustments to improve printed fidelity.
ILT Generates Curved, Optimal Masks
- Inverse lithography technology (ILT) computes mask patterns backwards from desired wafer images, producing curved, non-intuitive masks.
- ILT dramatically widens the process window but historically produced alien, curve-rich masks.