What is required to make the technology roadmap actually being implemented?
A larger EUV mask format will not happen because it is technically elegant. It will happen only if the beneficiaries of larger exposure fields create a credible economic bridge for the mask ecosystem. Without that bridge, the rational outcome is to extend 6-inch masks, accept half-field constraints, and solve the problem through design partitioning, stitching, chiplets, OPC, and process optimization.
IRDS says High-NA EUV initially uses today’s EUV mask form factor, giving a 26 mm × 16.5 mm wafer field instead of the current 26 mm × 33 mm field. Larger masks, described as 6 inch × 11.2 inch × 0.25 inch, could restore the full field, but IRDS says this appears mainly to be a cost issue because of infrastructure investment and a limited customer set; it explicitly calls for industry-wide consensus and cost mitigation. (Section 4.2. MASK CHALLENGES – IRDS Litho Roadmap 2024)