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ASML, Nikon and Canon represent three different approaches to patterning chips: ASML supplies EUV projection systems and also DUV tools, Nikon’s NSR-S636E is an advanced DUV immersion scanner, and Canon’s FPA-1200NZ2C transfers a pattern by nanoimprint rather than conventional projection exposure. They fill different roles in semiconductor manufacturing, so their published specifications do not establish a simple winner or make the systems direct substitutes.
How the three lithography approaches work
Lithography creates patterns on a wafer, but the machines in this comparison do not all create those patterns the same way. EUV and DUV scanners project light through an optical system onto a resist-coated wafer. Canon’s nanoimprint system instead presses a patterned mask into resist. That difference affects how their specifications should be interpreted: a projected-light resolution figure is not directly equivalent to a nanoimprint linewidth claim.
ASML: EUV and DUV projection
ASML says its EUV systems use 13.5 nm light to print intricate chip layers. Its product overview specifies 0.33 numerical aperture (NA) and 13 nm resolution for NXE systems, and 0.55 NA and 8 nm resolution for the EXE High NA platform. ASML describes EXE as enabling smaller single exposures and reducing multi-patterning complexity. These are supplier specifications and expected process benefits, not an independent comparison of manufacturing economics.
EUV is not the only lithography used in a fab that has EUV capability. ASML says other chip layers are printed with DUV systems, and the appropriate tool depends on the layer and process. In its 2025 annual report, ASML called itself “the world’s only manufacturer of EUV lithography systems.” The company also reported that its first EXE:5200B shipped in early April 2025 ready for high-volume manufacturing use. That statement describes the shipment’s stated readiness; it does not establish adoption at scale across customers.
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Nikon: DUV immersion projection
Nikon’s NSR-S636E is an argon fluoride (ArF) immersion scanner using 193 nm light. Immersion places liquid between the projection lens and wafer to support higher numerical aperture than dry exposure. Nikon describes immersion as important for continued miniaturization and for 3D semiconductor structures. Its scanner is intended for critical layers and a range of structures, including 3D devices.
Canon: nanoimprint pattern transfer
Canon’s FPA-1200NZ2C uses nanoimprint lithography: it presses an imprinted mask into resist to transfer a pattern, rather than projecting an image onto the wafer in the conventional scanner manner. Canon says it commercialized the system in October 2023 and gives a minimum linewidth of 14 nm, which it describes as equivalent to the 5 nm node. The linewidth and node-equivalence wording are Canon’s claims; a node label is not a literal feature dimension or independent qualification for production.
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Published specifications at a glance
| System or platform | Patterning approach | Supplier-published figure | How to read it |
|---|---|---|---|
| ASML NXE | EUV projection; 13.5 nm light | 0.33 NA; 13 nm resolution (ASML product overview, accessed 2026) | ASML’s system specifications for its EUV platform. |
| ASML EXE High NA | EUV projection; 13.5 nm light | 0.55 NA; 8 nm resolution (ASML product overview, accessed 2026) | ASML’s specification for High NA EUV; its stated benefits include smaller single exposures and less multi-patterning complexity. |
| Nikon NSR-S636E | 193 nm ArF DUV immersion projection | 1.35 NA; resolution ≤38 nm; mix-and-match overlay ≤2.1 nm; throughput ≥280 300 mm wafers/hour at 96 exposure fields (Nikon lineup, accessed 2026) | Nikon’s figures; throughput is tied to the stated 96-field condition. |
| Canon FPA-1200NZ2C | Nanoimprint transfer into resist | 14 nm minimum linewidth; described by Canon as equivalent to the 5 nm node (Canon announcement, 2024) | A Canon linewidth and node-equivalence claim, not the same metric as a scanner’s resolution specification. |
These numbers are not a common benchmark. The sources do not establish like-for-like definitions or test conditions across all three approaches. In particular, Canon’s minimum linewidth should not be ranked directly against ASML’s system resolution or Nikon’s scanner resolution.
Overlay, throughput and patterning steps are different comparisons
Overlay
Overlay describes alignment between patterns on successive layers. Nikon publishes a mix-and-match overlay figure of ≤2.1 nm for the NSR-S636E. The cited ASML and Canon materials do not provide a directly comparable overlay value for the named systems, so the Nikon number alone cannot rank alignment performance across the three vendors.
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Throughput
Nikon lists throughput of at least 280 300 mm wafers per hour at 96 exposure fields for the NSR-S636E. Nikon Precision also states that the system delivers 10–15% greater output than current models; that is a Nikon-reported comparison, not an independent benchmark. The available figures do not supply a shared throughput test for Nikon, ASML and Canon. Scanner wafer throughput also does not by itself describe the total process cost or output of a fab.
Patterning strategy
ASML presents High NA EUV as a way to print smaller patterns in a single exposure and reduce multi-patterning complexity. That is a claimed process advantage, not proof of a specific cost, yield or productivity outcome at a customer fab. Nikon’s DUV immersion remains relevant for layers and processes where that scanner is selected; its presence does not imply that EUV replaces every DUV exposure. Canon’s imprint mechanism is distinct, and its linewidth figure does not reveal how a complete production flow compares in patterning steps, yield or defectivity.
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Deployment evidence and intended roles
ASML: EUV production platform with a newer High NA shipment
ASML’s annual report identifies it as the only EUV-system manufacturer and states that the first EXE:5200B shipped in early April 2025 ready for high-volume manufacturing use. This is evidence of a supplier-reported shipment and readiness, not evidence that all customers had adopted the platform at volume. ASML also positions DUV systems as part of the broader lithography mix for layers not printed with EUV.
Nikon: advanced DUV for selected critical layers
The NSR-S636E specification sheet and Nikon’s description establish the system as a high-NA DUV immersion scanner aimed at critical layers and diverse structures, including 3D devices. Its published throughput and overlay figures are vendor specifications under the stated conditions, not direct equivalents to performance claims for EUV or nanoimprint tools.
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Canon: a named R&D and prototype deployment
Canon announced on September 26, 2024 that it had delivered an FPA-1200NZ2C to the Texas Institute for Electronics for research and development and prototype production. That is a named research deployment, not evidence of broad high-volume production adoption. Canon presents lower power consumption and cost as advantages of nanoimprint; those benefits should be treated as Canon’s claims rather than independently established comparisons.
What the available evidence can—and cannot—settle
The vendor materials provide useful descriptions and specifications, but they do not establish a universal winner. The named systems use different pattern-transfer mechanisms, serve different process roles, and publish different kinds of metrics. No comparable independent evidence is established here for cost of ownership, uptime, yield, defectivity or fab-wide productivity. Those factors matter to production decisions, but they cannot be inferred from the resolution, overlay or throughput figures above.
- For EUV capability: ASML says it is currently the only manufacturer of EUV lithography systems; NXE and EXE High NA are its EUV platforms.
- For advanced DUV immersion: Nikon’s NSR-S636E is a 193 nm ArF scanner with supplier-published resolution, overlay and throughput specifications.
- For nanoimprint: Canon’s FPA-1200NZ2C is a distinct pattern-transfer approach, with a documented R&D and prototype deployment at the Texas Institute for Electronics.
Those are complementary categories to evaluate by layer, process and maturity evidence—not interchangeable products to rank by a single number.
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