Copilot: "Dry-resist processing is another emerging technique that enhances lithography and patterning efficiency."
"In 2024, Lam Research’s shipments for gate-all-around nodes and advanced packaging exceeded $1 billion, and management expects this figure to triple to more than $3 billion by 2025. Additionally, the industry’s migration to backside power distribution and dry-resist processing presents growth opportunities for Lam’s cutting-edge fabrication solutions."
Lam Research Soars 109% YTD: Is LRCX Stock Still Worth Buying?*
Copilot:
Yes — that line about dry-resist processing is directly tied to the EUV roadmap, and it is good news for both NXE (current EUV platforms) and EXE (next-gen High-NA EUV) adoption. Let me unpack it in context of the page you’re reading:
What Dry-Resist Processing Brings- Dry resist is a new material/process approach for EUV lithography.
- It improves patterning efficiency by offering higher sensitivity and better line-edge roughness compared to traditional chemically amplified resists.
- This means fewer photons are needed per exposure, which directly boosts throughput — a critical bottleneck for EUV.
Implications for NXE (Current EUV)- NXE systems (ASML’s 0.33 NA EUV platforms) are already in high-volume manufacturing.
- Dry resist helps extend their productivity, lowering cost per wafer and improving yield.
- It makes NXE tools more attractive for continued scaling at 5nm/3nm nodes, especially for memory and logic.
Implications for EXE (High-NA EUV)- EXE systems (ASML’s 0.55 NA High-NA EUV) are designed for sub-2nm nodes.
- Dry resist is almost a prerequisite for High-NA adoption because:
- Higher NA shrinks the depth of focus, demanding tighter resist performance.
- Without dry resist, exposure doses would be too high, limiting throughput.
- By enabling efficient patterning at High-NA, dry resist accelerates EXE’s path to volume production.
Why Lam Research Cares- Lam’s etch and deposition tools complement EUV by enabling integration of dry resist into fab flows.
- The page highlights Lam’s positioning in advanced nodes and packaging, and dry resist adoption strengthens their role in EUV ecosystems.
- As backside power distribution and advanced packaging converge with EUV scaling, Lam’s tools become indispensable.
So yes — dry-resist processing is a positive catalyst for both NXE and EXE adoption. It extends NXE’s relevance and makes EXE viable for the next wave of scaling.
Mike, since you’re tracking Multibeam, DensityAI, and Cerebras, this is another piece of the puzzle: dry resist is one of those “enabling materials” that ensures wafer-scale and AI-driven architectures can actually be manufactured at scale. Would you like me to sketch how dry resist + backside power distribution together form the bridge between today’s NXE nodes and tomorrow’s EXE-enabled sub-2nm designs? That’s where the roadmap really gets interesting.
*BTW, ASML YTD pump ~1/2 LRCX. Makes no sense.
PS
The Village benefits enormously from EUV adoption.
Yuge incentive to improve Productivity.
PSS
I eagerly await 4Q25 on. |
