Authors at Carl Zeiss SMT GmbH and ASML Netherlands B.V. present a concept for an EUV scanner with a numerical aperture of at least 0.75, named hyper NA, as a successor to scanners at NA 0.55.
The paper is a technical concept, not a company release, licence, control, or deployment. The stakes are architectural: the abstract argues the higher aperture can sit in practically the same volume claim as the current NA 0.55 scanners and reuse the present source and mask stack.
Who this affects
- For exporters: Not a licence or control. The abstract states the current light source can be reused as-is, and that modern mask absorbers such as low-n or high-k are sufficient for hyper NA.
- For investors: Affiliations on the paper are Carl Zeiss SMT GmbH (Oberkochen) and ASML Netherlands B.V. (Veldhoven). The text presents a concept. It states that NA 0.55 scanners have recently been introduced into the market and are on their way to high-volume production, and that long product development cycles already raise the successor question.
- For counsel/compliance: No order, rule, case, or designation is in the record. The version of record is deposited under a CC BY 4.0 licence.
The read
The abstract sets the successor question while the NA 0.55 generation is described as only on its way to high-volume production, and it does so by pointing to long EUV scanner development cycles. The stated case for hyper NA is continuity, not a new ecosystem: masks, sources, and production equipment for manufacturing the scanners are the infrastructure to reuse, and an NA of 0.75 is claimed within practically the same volume claim as the current NA 0.55 scanners. The record is a concept paper from two Zeiss SMT authors and one ASML author. It does not record a product commitment.
What was the action?
Michael Patra and Heiko Feldmann (Carl Zeiss SMT GmbH, Oberkochen, Germany) and Gerardo Bottiglieri (ASML Netherlands B.V., Veldhoven, The Netherlands) published “Hyper NA: a system with a numerical aperture of at least 0.75” in the Journal of Micro/Nanopatterning, Materials, and Metrology, volume 25, issue 04, pages 1–12, issued 1 October 2026 (DOI 10.1117/1.JMM.25.4.041807). The abstract says they present the concept of an EUV scanner with an NA of at least 0.75, named hyper NA.
What’s the penalty / scope, and how is it set?
No penalty. The action is a published concept. Scope, as stated in the abstract: an NA of at least 0.75; support for an NA of 0.75 within practically the same volume claim as current NA 0.55 scanners; reuse of the current light source as-is; modern mask absorbers such as low-n or high-k described as sufficient; reuse of as much present lithography infrastructure as possible, including masks, sources, and production equipment for manufacturing those scanners. The abstract calls an increase in NA the preferable successor because it offers an infrastructure-compatible path.
Who else is exposed?
Not specified in the record. No customer, foundry, or government party is named. The infrastructure the abstract identifies for reuse is masks (including low-n or high-k absorbers), the current light source, and production equipment used to manufacture the scanners.
What happens next
The abstract sets no build decision, customer, shipment date, or regulatory trigger. The open question is whether the concept is taken up as a product program. Resolution, readiness timing, and any company comment are not in the deposited abstract of this DOI.