EUV may not be ready for the 10nm process node and may have to wait for production readiness until the 7nm node, IBM said at the Common Platform Alliance meeting in New York earlier this week.
"We are talking about real physics challenges not hard enginerring work. i don't know when we'll have it," said IBM's vp for R&D Gary Patton.
The problem is, as it has been for years, the power of the laser light source. ASML has got this up to 40W but, according to Patton, the target required is 250W.
ASML says it is targetting machines which can process 70 wafers an hour by mid-2014, but it has failed to meet targets before.
Intel, Samsung, TSMC
"We have demonstrated a stable 40W of EUV source power against a production target of 105W," said ASML CEO Eric Meurice last month.
Intel, Samsung and TSMC have invested some $5bn in ASML, partly for developing EUV.
Without EUV the only option will be double, triple or quadruple patterning which will increase the cost of chips.
Scaling no longer increases performance or reduces power and, if now it is to no longer to reduce cost, it will lose its point.
Source:
http://www.electronicsweekly.com/Articles/2013/02/08/55526/ibm-pessimistic-on-euv.htm
