Carl Zeiss and ASML Paper Explores Hyper-NA EUV Beyond 0.55 NA
Carl Zeiss SMT and ASML researchers have released a technical paper on Hyper-NA EUV, describing a system with a numerical aperture of at least 0.75. The work explores how this approach could move beyond current 0.55-NA High-NA systems, covering optical design, resolution limits, reticle 3D effects, polarization, and ecosystem needs. The paper appears in the Journal of Micro/Nanopatterning, Materials, and Metrology.
Researchers from Carl Zeiss SMT and ASML authored the paper, with Michael Patra, Heiko Feldmann, Jens Timo Neumann, and Gerardo Bottiglieri listed. It appeared in the Journal of Micro/Nanopatterning, Materials, and Metrology, volume 25, issue 4, article 041807, dated October 2026. The DOI is 10.1117/1.JMM.25.4.041807.
The study frames Hyper-NA as an extension beyond 0.55-NA High-NA EUV. Its scope includes projection optics, achievable resolution, mask-related 3D effects, polarization behavior, and what the broader EUV infrastructure would need to support such a system.
If Hyper-NA advances from research toward production, it could affect semiconductor manufacturers, equipment suppliers, and eventually electronics users by enabling finer chip patterning. Benefits may take years and depend on reticles, optics, metrology, materials, and other EUV ecosystem pieces maturing together. The wider public might see indirect effects through future device performance, cost, or availability, though those outcomes remain uncertain.