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Compare EUV scanners as a coupled imaging-and-productivity system, not by a single headline number. Numerical aperture (NA) indicates the projection optics’ angular acceptance and is central to resolution; source power determines how quickly the scanner can deliver the required exposure dose; and throughput is the measured result after dose, field size, wafer handling, stages, focus, resist, and availability are accounted for. Current low-NA NXE systems use 0.33 NA, while the EXE High-NA platform uses 0.55 NA. Both use 13.5 nm EUV light.
The practical question is therefore not simply “Which scanner has more watts?” It is “At the same wafer size, dose, field, process window, and uptime assumptions, which system prints the required features at the required wafers per hour?”
The three specifications to compare first
Start with NA, source power, and throughput in that order, but never interpret any of them without its conditions. A scanner with higher NA may resolve finer features yet impose a tighter depth-of-focus budget. A higher source-power figure may shorten exposure time, but only if the power is quoted at a comparable measurement plane and the resist dose is the same. A wafers-per-hour number is meaningful only when its dose, wafer size, field size, stage assumptions, and availability are identified.
| Specification | What it tells you | What must accompany it |
|---|---|---|
| Numerical aperture | How much angular information the projection optics accept; a primary driver of imaging resolution | Resolution or half-pitch target, depth of focus, overlay and edge-placement requirements, illumination and mask conditions |
| Source power | How much usable EUV energy the source provides | Measurement plane, spectral bandwidth, dose in mJ/cm², conversion efficiency and uptime assumptions |
| Throughput | Completed wafers per hour under a defined operating recipe | Wafer diameter, dose, field size, stage and wafer-handler performance, focus strategy, resist and availability |
Use the table as a checklist when reading a product page or supplier presentation. If a value lacks one of these qualifiers, treat it as an incomplete comparison rather than a ranking.
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What current EUV platforms have in common
Current EUV scanners use 13.5 nm light and process 300 mm wafers. The NXE:3600D product specification lists a 26 mm × 33 mm exposure field, reflective projection optics and 0.33 NA. The EXE family is ASML’s High-NA platform and uses 0.55 NA. These are different optical generations, not two settings that an operator selects on one machine.
| Platform or example | NA | Wavelength | Wafer size | Exposure field | Published productivity figure | Power and conditions stated |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| NXE low-NA platform | 0.33 | 13.5 nm | 300 mm | 26 mm × 33 mm on NXE:3600D | NXE:3400B: more than 125 wafers/hour | 250 W light source; imec announcement from 2018; dose and measurement plane not stated in that announcement |
| EXE High-NA platform | 0.55 | 13.5 nm | 300 mm | Not stated for the cited EXE:5200B figure | EXE:5200B: 175 wafers/hour | ASML’s 2025 annual-report material says improved EUV source power at wafer level enabled 60% higher productivity than EXE:5000; the comparable watt value and full recipe conditions are not stated |
The figures are system-specific. The 250 W and more-than-125-wafer-per-hour values describe an NXE:3400B example reported by imec in 2018. The 175-wafer-per-hour value is ASML’s 2025 report for EXE:5200B. They should not be treated as a controlled head-to-head test because the published conditions, doses, fields and availability assumptions differ.
Numerical aperture: the imaging specification
What NA means
Numerical aperture describes the angular acceptance of the projection optics. In simplified form, optical resolution improves as NA increases, which is why a 0.55-NA system can target finer details than a 0.33-NA system at the same wavelength. The Rayleigh relationship expresses this dependence: resolution scales with wavelength divided by NA, together with a process-dependent factor. The equation is useful for understanding direction, not for predicting a production node from NA alone.
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The depth-of-focus penalty
Higher NA sharpens the image but narrows depth of focus. The same optical relationships that improve resolution reduce the range over which the wafer remains acceptably focused. A High-NA scanner therefore shifts more of the engineering burden into wafer topography control, chucking, focus mapping, resist thickness uniformity and process-window management.
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When comparing two tools, place depth of focus beside the headline NA. Ask for the focus range at the intended dose and imaging condition, not a standalone nominal value. A design that fits inside the nominal resolution limit may still fail if the available focus window is smaller than wafer-level topography and process variation.
Optical and mechanical consequences of 0.55 NA
imec notes that the 0.55-NA optical system required much larger, heavier mirrors, and ZEISS polished those mirrors for months. Larger reflective optics affect tool architecture, alignment, vibration control, thermal management, mask handling and service procedures. These are manufacturing considerations, not merely optical specifications.
ASML describes EXE as a platform with a novel optics design and significantly faster wafer and reticle stages. Faster stages can recover some productivity lost to tighter imaging conditions, but the stage claim must still be evaluated with the dose, field and scan recipe used for the throughput number.
Source power: compare usable energy, not just watts
Why the measurement plane matters
“Source power” is incomplete unless the supplier identifies where it was measured. Power at the plasma or source output is not interchangeable with power available to the wafer after collection, spectral filtering, transport and reflection through the illuminator and projection optics. A fair comparison requires the same measurement plane, spectral bandwidth and calibration convention.
ASML’s 2025 material specifically attributes EXE:5200B’s higher productivity to an improved EUV source delivering increased power at wafer level. That wording is more useful than an isolated source number because wafer-level power is closer to the energy that actually contributes to exposure. The cited material does not provide a comparable watt figure for EXE:5200B, so do not infer one from the 175-wafer-per-hour result.
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Pair power with dose
Resist dose is the energy required per unit area, commonly expressed in mJ/cm². For a fixed exposed area and resist, more usable wafer-level power can reduce the time needed to deliver that dose. The relationship is not linear at the scanner level because exposure is interleaved with stage motion, slit scanning, wafer exchange, focus operations and other overheads.
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- Power at the stated plane and the calibration method.
- Spectral bandwidth and any filtering definition.
- Nominal and guaranteed power, including the date or operating interval.
- Resist dose used for the throughput claim.
- Expected power stability and maintenance-related downtime.
imec reported a 250 W light source for the NXE:3400B and said the system would deliver more than 125 wafers per hour for high-volume production. Because the announcement does not state the dose, measurement plane or complete availability model, that pair of numbers is a useful historical reference, not a universal power-to-throughput conversion.
Throughput: what wafers per hour really includes
Exposure time is only one component
Wafers per hour includes the entire lot cycle: wafer loading and unloading, alignment, leveling, focus measurement, reticle exchange, scanning, stage acceleration and deceleration, and any inspection or conditioning steps included in the supplier’s definition. Source power affects the exposure portion, but it does not eliminate these fixed and semi-fixed times.
Field size also matters. A smaller field requires more fields to cover a 300 mm wafer, increasing scan and stitching overhead. The NXE:3600D’s 26 mm × 33 mm field is therefore an essential companion to its throughput specification. Do not compare a throughput value from a tool with a different field strategy without normalizing the number of fields per wafer.
Dose, resist and focus change the result
A low-dose resist can raise wafers per hour if it maintains the required contrast, line-edge roughness, defectivity and process window. A higher dose, thicker film or more conservative focus condition can reduce throughput even when source power is unchanged. Throughput claims should identify the resist stack and dose used; if they do not, treat the number as a best-case or otherwise narrowly defined result.
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Availability is separate from instantaneous rate
A scanner may expose wafers rapidly while producing fewer good wafers per calendar hour because of source conditioning, preventive maintenance, optics cleaning, reticle handling, qualification lots or unscheduled downtime. Compare both the instantaneous wafers-per-hour figure and the availability assumption. If only one is published, label it as such in your capacity model.
ASML reports 175 wafers per hour for EXE:5200B and describes that as 60% higher productivity than EXE:5000. The statement is a supplier-reported platform comparison under ASML’s stated conditions; it is not evidence that every EXE:5200B installation will achieve 175 wafers per hour in every resist and maintenance regime.
A practical workflow for comparing two EUV scanners
- Define the manufacturing target. Record the critical layer, intended half-pitch or resolution, overlay budget, edge-placement-error limit, wafer diameter and acceptable defectivity. Include whether the layer is dense, isolated or mixed pitch.
- Normalize the optical conditions. Put wavelength, NA, illumination mode, mask type and field size in one sheet. Confirm whether each value is a production specification, an engineering target or a roadmap statement.
- Request the complete power definition. Capture the measurement plane, spectral bandwidth, calibration date, nominal versus guaranteed power and expected stability. Reject comparisons that mix source-side watts with wafer-level watts.
- Match the dose and resist. Record dose in mJ/cm², resist thickness, underlayer, bake conditions and the process window used to obtain the quoted imaging result. A throughput number without dose is not normalized.
- Normalize wafer and field assumptions. Use the same 300 mm wafer basis where applicable, count fields per wafer, and identify any partial-field or edge-exclusion convention.
- Separate scan rate from factory capacity. Ask for stage and wafer-handler time, alignment and focus overhead, reticle exchange time, source conditioning and the availability percentage behind the wafers-per-hour claim.
- Check process window and overlay. Compare depth of focus, focus sensitivity, overlay performance, edge-placement error and defectivity at the target dose. A resolution advantage that cannot survive wafer topography or overlay limits is not a usable advantage.
- Evaluate manufacturing practicality. Include mask constraints, resist supply, tool footprint, vibration and thermal requirements, maintenance access, spare-part strategy, installed-base support and the maturity of the surrounding process ecosystem.
- Build a sensitivity model. Recalculate capacity at the expected dose range, source-power degradation, maintenance interval and availability. Report a range rather than a single optimistic point estimate.
0.33-NA versus 0.55-NA EUV
| Decision factor | 0.33-NA NXE | 0.55-NA EXE High-NA |
|---|---|---|
| Optical NA | Established low-NA value for the current NXE platform | High-NA value for the EXE platform |
| Wavelength | 13.5 nm | 13.5 nm |
| Resolution direction | Lower angular acceptance; suitable where the target pattern fits the established imaging capability | Higher angular acceptance and sharper imaging potential for finer details |
| Depth of focus | Broader than a comparable higher-NA condition, all else equal | Narrower; demands tighter focus and wafer-process control |
| Published example | NXE:3400B: 250 W and more than 125 wafers/hour, as reported by imec in 2018 | EXE:5200B: 175 wafers/hour, as reported by ASML in 2025 |
| Field information | NXE:3600D lists 26 mm × 33 mm | Not stated for the cited EXE:5200B throughput figure |
| Key integration issue | Optimize dose, source uptime and overlay within the established low-NA ecosystem | Manage tighter focus, larger and heavier optics, new stage behavior and High-NA process integration |
The correct choice depends on the layer’s imaging requirement and the fab’s ability to exploit it. If 0.33 NA meets the pattern, overlay and process-window targets, its established ecosystem may outweigh the theoretical resolution headroom of 0.55 NA. If the layer requires finer imaging than 0.33 NA can provide at an acceptable dose and process window, 0.55 NA becomes relevant despite its tighter focus and integration demands.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.How to read a scanner data sheet without being misled
Distinguish specification types
Mark each statement as a guaranteed specification, a typical value, a demonstrated result, or a roadmap claim. A demonstrated result may come from a particular resist, mask and test wafer; a guaranteed value usually has contractual conditions; and a roadmap statement may not describe an available production tool. Date every value because source power, stage software and throughput targets change across tool generations.
Do these 3 things before closing this tab:
1Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errors2Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitches3Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problemsKeep unlike generations separate
NXE:3400B, NXE:3600D, EXE:5000 and EXE:5200B are not interchangeable labels. A platform-level number cannot be assigned to every model in that family. Put the exact model, publication date and test condition in each table row.
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Do not infer cost from NA alone
High-NA optics, stages, source systems, masks, resists, facility modifications and service contracts all influence total cost of ownership. The supplied specifications establish the optical and productivity trade-off, but they do not provide purchase price, operating cost or payback data. Those figures require a quotation and a site-specific capacity model.
Which metric matters most for a specific decision?
Choosing for a new critical layer
Start with the minimum NA that meets resolution, overlay and edge-placement requirements inside the available focus budget. Then verify that the required dose is compatible with source power and resist sensitivity. Only after those checks should you rank wafers per hour.
Planning fab capacity
Use the supplier’s wafers-per-hour figure as an input, not an output. Replace the published dose, field count and availability with your own recipe assumptions, then model source-power drift and maintenance. A tool with a lower headline rate can deliver more qualified wafers if it has a wider process window and higher sustained availability.
Evaluating a High-NA migration
Budget engineering time for focus control, mask strategy, resist development, overlay characterization and larger optical-system integration. The 0.55-NA benefit is realized only when the surrounding process can hold the narrower depth-of-focus and exploit the finer image.
Common comparison mistakes
- Ranking by watts alone: power without a measurement plane and dose does not predict wafer capacity.
- Ranking by wafers per hour alone: throughput without field, dose and availability can hide a difficult process or a favorable test condition.
- Ignoring depth of focus: higher NA improves resolution while reducing focus margin.
- Mixing model generations: a value for one NXE or EXE model should not be copied to another model.
- Comparing unlike fields: different field sizes change the number of scans required per wafer.
- Treating supplier claims as universal: ASML and imec figures are valuable references, but they are tied to the stated tool, date and conditions.
- Leaving availability out of capacity planning: instantaneous scan rate is not the same as sustained factory output.
A compact checklist for procurement or technical review
- Exact scanner model and publication date.
- NA, wavelength, illumination and mask conditions.
- Resolution, depth of focus, overlay and edge-placement error at the intended process condition.
- Source power, measurement plane, spectral bandwidth, calibration and stability.
- Resist dose, wafer size, field size and fields per wafer.
- Stage, wafer-handler, alignment and focus overhead.
- Nominal wafers per hour and the availability definition behind it.
- Source-conditioning, maintenance and optics-service assumptions.
- Mask, resist, facility, vibration and thermal requirements.
- Whether each number is guaranteed, typical, demonstrated or a roadmap target.
Use this checklist to turn a marketing specification sheet into a comparable engineering dataset. The decisive result is the number of good, in-spec wafers produced per calendar hour at the required imaging performance—not the largest NA or watt figure in isolation.
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