Intel Ships First High-Volume Logic Chips Using ASML High-NA EUV (Panther Lake 18A)
Tags Infrastructure · Enterprise
Intel Foundry began high-volume manufacturing of select Core Ultra Series 3 (Panther Lake) processor layers on Intel 18A using ASML's EXE High-NA EUV (0.55 NA) scanners in Oregon. Specific 18A layers are now dual-qualified on High-NA and NXE platforms with matched yields. This marks the industry's first high-volume logic production on High-NA EUV. Intel installed the first commercial EXE:5000 in 2024 and the second-gen EXE:5200B in 2025.
Technical significance
High-NA EUV (0.55 NA vs 0.33 NA) enables single-exposure patterning at ~8nm half-pitch, reducing multi-patterning steps and improving overlay control. Dual-qualification on Panther Lake validates production readiness and gives Intel Foundry a process differentiation for 18A customers. However, High-NA tool throughput and uptime must still reach NXE parity for full-node adoption. ASML's EXE:5200B improvements (output, overlay, light source) address early-gen concerns. This milestone de-risks High-NA for the industry's 2nm/1.4nm nodes.