EUV LLC: An Historical Perspective

Gwyn, Chuck; Wurm, Stefan

doi:10.1117/3.769214.ch2

Book: EUV Lithography

Editor(s): Vivek Bakshi

Author(s): Chuck Gwyn, Stefan Wurm

Published: 2008

https://doi.org/10.1117/3.769214.ch2

Abstract

The Extreme Ultraviolet Limited Liability Company (EUV LLC) was formed in 1997 to advance the R&D for EUV lithography. The company contracted with the Department of Energy (DOE) Virtual National Laboratories (VNL) consisting of Lawrence Berkeley, Lawrence Livermore and Sandia National Laboratories to accelerate the EUV technology development and to reduce the risks associated with developing manufacturing tools and transferring the technology to industry for commercialization. The program started as a three-year program and later was extended to six years. It can be stated with a significant level of confidence that the EUV technology as applied to lithography would not be a future contender for IC manufacturing if it had not been for the formation and pursuit of the technology by the LLC. EUVL research would have stopped within the U.S. in the 1997 time frame and the technology would not have provided a future manufacturing option.