ASML and imec have signed a strategic partnership agreement focusing on research and sustainability. Terms of the agreement cover a five year period, as the company and R&D organization, which have been formal partners for more than 30 years, target the delivery of solutions that advance the semiconductor industry, in addition to initiatives focused on sustainable innovation. The collaboration will focus on developing high-end nodes using ASML systems including 0.55 numerical aperture (NA) extreme-ultraviolet (EUV), 0.33 NA EUV, deep-ultraviolet (DUV) immersion, YieldStar optical metrology, and HMI single- and multi-beam technologies. These tools will be installed in imec’s pilot line and incorporated in the EU- and Flemish-funded NanoIC pilot line (announced last May), providing infrastructure for sub-2 nm R&D to the international semiconductor ecosystem. Additional R&D focus areas will include silicon photonics, memory, and advanced packaging, offering full stack innovation for future semiconductor-based AI applications in diverse markets. A new area in the duo's collaboration consists of a significant contribution to fund ideas and activities in imec’s research funnel that bring environmental and societal benefits. “The inclusion of ASML’s full product portfolio will allow us to expand and further mature the capabilities of our pilot line, providing the entire semiconductor ecosystem with the most advanced R&D to tackle the challenges of AI-driven technological advancements,” said Luc Van den hove, president and CEO at imec. The ASML investment in the partnership is complemented with funding made available by the Chips Joint Undertaking and the Flemish government (for the realization of the EU Chips Act NanoIC pilot line), and by the Dutch government (as an Important Project of Common European Interest). The longtime partners opened a joint lithography lab in Veldhoven last June and reported breakthrough results in August utilizing the 0.55 NA EUV scanner. Preparations for the 0.55 NA EUV scanner and associated infrastructure began in 2018.