SK Hynix Considers Multi-Patterning or High-NA EUV for DRAM; Samsung Targets 1.4nm in 2029
SK Hynix said it is evaluating multi-patterning EUV or High-NA single-exposure lithography for next-generation DRAM production, and has begun adopting phase-shift masks (PSM) to enhance EUV performance, with full R&D starting in 2026. Samsung Electronics is also developing High-NA EUV for memory chips and plans to mass-produce a 1.4nm process by 2029. PSM, which controls light intensity and phase to suppress diffraction artifacts, is seen as a key shift from binary masks.
At the Next-Generation Lithography and Patterning conference (NGL 2026), SK Hynix said it is considering multi-patterning EUV or the introduction of high-numerical-aperture (High-NA) single-exposure technology for the mass production of extreme micro-patterning. The company has begun a full-scale introduction of new materials such as phase-shift masks (PSM) to improve EUV lithography performance, with related technology development fully launched in 2026.
Samsung Electronics has also begun research and development on High-NA EUV technology, with plans to apply it to memory chip mass production.
Phase-shift masks (PSM) are a type of photomask that simultaneously controls light intensity and phase, using destructive interference to suppress diffraction artifacts, thereby unlocking the theoretical resolution of High-NA EUV. In 2025, Samsung Electronics attempted to introduce PSM into EUV lithography, and company executives noted that the technology trend is shifting from binary masks to PSM.
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