# Making the Impossible EUV Chip Machine **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [January 4, 2026, 5:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/making-the-impossible-euv-chip-machine/1026326 "2026-01-04T05:32:32Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 3\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2026, 2:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/making-the-impossible-euv-chip-machine/1026326/41 "2026-01-07T02:24:09Z")
Of course, these machines didn’t come out of nowhere, either. These are the best top-of-the-line chip-making machines, but they were developed incrementally from earlier not-quite-so-amazing machines, and those were developed from others, and so on. I’m sure that China does already have chip-making machines of some level: They’re not starting from scratch. ---
**Author:** ![dtilque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d6d6ee/32.png) [@dtilque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dtilque)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2026, 3:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/making-the-impossible-euv-chip-machine/1026326/42 "2026-01-07T03:34:58Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > These are the best top-of-the-line chip-making machines, but they were developed incrementally from earlier not-quite-so-amazing machines, Not really, except for development within AMSL. This is a much different thing than previous chip making machines. EUV is another way to say X-ray and generating sufficiently strong X-rays and getting X-rays to reflect off mirrors is very different than for UV. They needed a lot of different specialists to work out all the things in that machine. The thing is, China does have all those different specialists, including some that worked for AMSL. ---
**Author:** ![Darren\_Garrison](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darren_garrison/32/92_2.png) [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2026, 3:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/making-the-impossible-euv-chip-machine/1026326/43 "2026-01-07T03:48:50Z")
> [@dtilque](#): > > EUV is another way to say X-ray and generating sufficiently strong X-rays and getting X-rays to reflect off mirrors is very different than for UV. Even the masks have to be insanely high tech: > EUV [photomasks](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Photomask) work by reflecting light,[[15]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Extreme_ultraviolet_lithography#cite_note-15) which is achieved by using multiple alternating layers of [molybdenum](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Molybdenum) and [silicon](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Silicon). This is in contrast to conventional photomasks which work by blocking light using a single chromium layer on a quartz substrate. An EUV mask consists of 40–50[[16]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Extreme_ultraviolet_lithography#cite_note-auto4-16) alternating silicon and molybdenum layers;[[17]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Extreme_ultraviolet_lithography#cite_note-17) this is a multilayer which acts to reflect the extreme ultraviolet light through [Bragg diffraction](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bragg_diffraction); the reflectance is a strong function of incident angle and wavelength, with longer wavelengths reflecting more near normal incidence and shorter wavelengths reflecting more away from normal incidence. The multilayer may be protected by a thin [ruthenium](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ruthenium) layer, called a capping layer.[[16]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Extreme_ultraviolet_lithography#cite_note-auto4-16)[[18]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Extreme_ultraviolet_lithography#cite_note-18)[[19]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Extreme_ultraviolet_lithography#cite_note-19) The pattern is defined in a [tantalum](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tantalum)-based absorbing layer over the capping layer.[[20]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Extreme_ultraviolet_lithography#cite_note-20) > > Blank photomasks are mainly made by two companies: [AGC Inc.](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AGC_Inc.) and [Hoya Corporation](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hoya_Corporation).[[21]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Extreme_ultraviolet_lithography#cite_note-21) Ion-beam deposition equipment mainly made by [Veeco](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Veeco) is often used to deposit the multilayer.[[16]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Extreme_ultraviolet_lithography#cite_note-auto4-16) A blank photomask is covered with [photoresist](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Photoresist), which is then baked (solidified) in an oven, and later the pattern is defined on the photoresist using [maskless lithography](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maskless_lithography) with an electron beam. This step is called exposure.[[22]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Extreme_ultraviolet_lithography#cite_note-22) The exposed photoresist is developed (removed), and the unprotected areas are etched. The remaining photoresist is then removed. Masks are then inspected and later repaired using an [electron beam](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electron_beam).[[23]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Extreme_ultraviolet_lithography#cite_note-23) Etching must be done only in the absorbing layer[[16]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Extreme_ultraviolet_lithography#cite_note-auto4-16) and thus there is a need to distinguish between the capping and the absorbing layer, which is known as etch selectivity[[24]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Extreme_ultraviolet_lithography#cite_note-24) and is unlike etching in conventional photomasks, which only have one layer critical to their function.[[25]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Extreme_ultraviolet_lithography#cite_note-25) From > **[Extreme ultraviolet lithography](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Extreme_ultraviolet_lithography)** > > Extreme ultraviolet lithography (EUVL, also known simply as EUV) is a technology used in the semiconductor industry for manufacturing integrated circuits (ICs). It is a type of photolithography that uses 13.5 nm extreme ultraviolet (EUV) light from a laser-pulsed tin (Sn) plasma to create intricate patterns on semiconductor substrates. > As of 2025\[update\], ASML Holding is the only company that produces and sells EUV systems for chip production, targeting 5 nanometer (nm) and 3 nm process nodes, ... > **[Inside an EUV mask: Multilayer structure, absorber, and pellicle explained](https://eureka.patsnap.com/article/inside-an-euv-mask-multilayer-structure-absorber-and-pellicle-explained)** > > Understanding the inner workings of an Extreme Ultraviolet (EUV) mask is crucial for comprehending how cutting-edge microchips are manufactured. As se One mask can cost hundreds of thousands of dollars, and carving a chip can take dozens of masks. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/making-the-impossible-euv-chip-machine/1026326.md?page=2)