EUV Lithography OPC Technology Landscape 2026 — PatSnap Eureka
Optical Proximity Correction for EUV Lithography
EUV OPC must address reflective mask shadowing, long-range flare, and photon shot noise at sub-10 nm feature dimensions. This landscape maps patent signals from 2009 to 2026 across five core correction sub-domains.
Why EUV OPC Is Fundamentally Different from DUV
At a wavelength of 13.5 nm, EUV systems use all-reflective optics and reflective photomasks with multilayer coatings. Because the mask is illuminated at an oblique angle of approximately 6° chief ray angle, pattern features experience asymmetric, pitch-dependent shadowing distortions that must be encoded into OPC correction polygons — a challenge absent in transmissive DUV systems.
Long-range EUV flare — scattered light from mirror surface roughness — propagates across large areas of the mask field, shifting local dose and distorting critical dimensions. Synopsys pioneered computational flare modeling using fast Fourier transform decomposition of the flare power spectral density to generate low-frequency and high-frequency flare maps for OPC calibration.
At EUV dose levels and feature pitches in the low-k1 regime, photon shot noise produces line-edge roughness and local CD variation that OPC alone cannot fully eliminate but must not amplify. CD uniformity monitoring of EUV reticles must also disentangle intentional OPC corrections from genuine mask defectivity — a methodology addressed by KLA Corporation in multiple filings covering CDU mapping.
The EUV OPC field spans five core sub-domains within this dataset: polygon-level OPC rule generation, flare modeling and compensation, iterative OPC with aberration and stochastic model inclusion, mask simulation and process window co-optimization, and OPC-linked CDU monitoring and reticle inspection. Innovation has progressed from theoretical flare-correction frameworks circa 2009 through production OPC flows and is now moving toward source-mask co-optimization and defect-specific correction.
EUV OPC Patent Activity from 2009 to 2026
The EUV OPC field has moved through four distinct phases — foundational flare modeling (2009–2014), early industrialization at 7 nm (2015–2018), production-era tiered OPC flows (2018–2022), and emerging source-mask co-optimization and defect-specific correction (2023–2026).
EUV OPC Technology Cluster Patent Distribution
Polygon OPC and tiered iterative OPC hold the largest filing share, reflecting their centrality to production EUV flows at 7 nm and 5 nm nodes.
↗ Click bars to exploreEUV OPC Filing Activity by Development Phase
Filing activity accelerated markedly in the production-era maturation phase (2018–2022) and continues into the 2023–2026 emerging phase, dominated by Samsung’s source-mask co-optimization and defect-specific OPC filings.
↗ Click bars to exploreEUV OPC Across Logic, Memory, Mask Manufacturing, and EDA
EUV OPC patents in this dataset address four distinct deployment contexts: advanced logic patterning at 5 nm and below, DRAM storage node CD uniformity, EUV mask fabrication workflows, and EDA software tool implementations for flare compensation and simulation.
Advanced Logic 5 nm and Below
Metal layer single patterning at 5 nm and 3 nm nodes requires OPC models accounting for EUV-specific effects at pitches approaching the resolution limit of 0.33 NA scanners. Samsung’s iterative OPC filings (2020–2021) explicitly target logic metal layers where pattern density and proximity are most severe. EUV single patterning of logic metal and contact layers was inserted at 7 nm (production from 2019) and extended to 5 nm (2020), with each node requiring updated OPC models.
Advanced LogicDRAM Storage Node Patterning
EUV lithography has been inserted into DRAM storage node patterning, where flare-induced CD gradients across the exposure field directly affect device yield. Samsung’s CDU and OPC-related filings are directly applicable to DRAM cell array patterning. KLA Corporation’s CDU monitoring patents (TW 2013–2018, CN 2015–2017) are specifically designed for reticle qualification in both logic and memory contexts.
Memory PatterningEUV Mask Manufacturing Workflows
Samsung’s earliest EUV OPC patent (2016) is titled as a mask manufacturing method, and the monitoring macro patent (CN, 2019) addresses the mask production process using OPC macros placed at equal intervals along the slit direction for process monitoring. IBM’s focus test targets (2016–2017) are realized as dual-pitch assist features written on EUV masks for in-line scanner focus qualification, tying OPC-designed features directly to mask manufacturing verification.
Mask ManufacturingElectronic Design Automation Tools
Synopsys’ flare-modeling patents (US 2009, US 2011, CN 2014) are directed to EDA tool implementations, enabling chip designers and foundries to incorporate EUV flare compensation within existing OPC software flows. The CN 2014 filing extends flare compensation with low-frequency and high-frequency PSD decomposition applied to chip-level layout data, targeting OPC pre-correction of flare-induced CD shifts. This positions EDA vendors as a distinct segment within the EUV OPC supply chain.
EDA SoftwareSamsung, Synopsys, KLA, and GlobalFoundries Dominate EUV OPC IP
Four assignees — Samsung Electronics, Synopsys, KLA Corporation, and GlobalFoundries — account for the majority of OPC-specific EUV content in this dataset. Samsung is the single most prolific assignee with at least 10 relevant filings spanning US, CN, KR, and TW jurisdictions from 2014 to 2025.
EUV OPC Filings by Top Assignee (Dataset)
↗ Click bars to exploreSamsung Electronics Co., Ltd.
Samsung is the single most prolific EUV OPC assignee in this dataset, with at least 10 relevant filings spanning US, CN, KR, and TW jurisdictions from 2014 to 2025. Coverage spans polygon OPC for EUV mask fabrication (2016–2024), tiered iterative OPC flows separating aberration and flare passes (2020–2021), simulation-based mask ordering using DOF and LER parameters (2018–2020), and source-mask co-optimization via Fourier-derived illumination (2025). A 2026 pending US filing extends illumination control to individually selectable pupil facet mirrors.
South Korea / United StatesSynopsys, Inc.
Synopsys holds three EUV flare-modeling patents in this dataset filed between 2009 and 2014 across US and CN jurisdictions, establishing the EDA-layer computational core for EUV OPC. The foundational US 2009 filing introduced decomposition of EUVL flare into long-range components for EDA integration; the 2011 continuation refined FFT-based fast computation of flare power spectral density maps; and the CN 2014 filing extended low-frequency and high-frequency PSD decomposition to chip-level layout data. All three filings position Synopsys as the primary IP holder for computational flare correction in OPC software tools.
United StatesSource-Mask Co-Optimization, Defect-Specific OPC, and EUV-DUV Alignment
The most recent filings in this dataset (2023–2026) signal a shift from correction of known physical effects toward co-optimization of illumination and mask design, defect-mode-specific OPC rules, and inter-tool alignment compensation for mixed EUV-DUV manufacturing.
Source-Mask Co-Optimization Enters Patent Space
Samsung’s pending US filing (2025) describes generating a target spectrum source map from mask pattern layout via Fourier approximation and storing aerial images of EUV point light sources per pupil mirror — enabling simultaneous optimization of illumination and OPC. A related CN filing (Samsung, 2025) introduces asymmetric pole-balance perturbations to pupil maps, indicating that EUV illumination configuration is now being patented as an integral part of the OPC workflow rather than a fixed scanner setting.
Defect-Specific OPC for EUV Single Patterning
Samsung’s 2024 pending US patent directly targets line-bridge and pinch-off defect modes at line-ends during EUV single patterning — failure modes distinct from space-collapse or tip-to-tip failures prevalent in ArF double patterning. The method thins line-end portions and widens adjacent side surfaces to prevent these defects. This signals that OPC methodology is now bifurcating by EUV-specific failure mode, requiring dedicated correction routines for line-end geometries.
EUV OPC vs. ArF Immersion OPC: Key Differences
Click any row to explore further.
| Dimension | EUV OPC (13.5 nm) | ArF Immersion OPC (193 nm) |
|---|---|---|
| Mask Architecture | Reflective multilayer mask; oblique ~6° chief ray angle | Transmissive quartz mask; normal incidence illumination |
| Shadowing Effects | Asymmetric pitch-dependent shadowing; requires 3D mask effect encoding in OPC polygons | No shadowing distortion from mask topology |
| Flare Correction | Long-range stray light from mirror roughness; requires FFT PSD decomposition and flare maps integrated into OPC (Synopsys, 2009–2014) | Flare levels much lower; not a primary OPC driver |
| Stochastic Effects | Photon shot noise at EUV dose produces LER and local CD variation that OPC must not amplify | Higher photon counts reduce stochastic sensitivity; LER less dominant in OPC model |
| OPC Flow Structure | Tiered iterative OPC: first pass without aberration/flare, second pass with full physics (Samsung, 2020–2021) | Single-pass model-based OPC typical; no EUV-specific aberration tier required |
| Defect Modes Targeted | Line-bridge and pinch-off at line-ends specific to EUV single patterning (Samsung, 2024) | Space collapse and tip-to-tip failures dominant in ArF double patterning |
| Source-Mask Co-Opt | Illumination shaping (pupil mirror selection, pole-balance perturbation) now patented as integral OPC step (Samsung, 2025) | SMO practiced but not tied to EUV-specific physics models |
| CDU Verification | Must separate intentional OPC flare corrections from genuine mask defects in CDU maps (KLA, 2013–2018) | CDU inspection does not require OPC flare-correction subtraction |
Frequently Asked Questions: EUV Optical Proximity Correction
EUV OPC must address challenges absent in DUV systems: reflective mask topology causing asymmetric pitch-dependent shadowing at ~6° chief ray angle, long-range flare from mirror roughness that shifts local dose across the mask field, photon shot noise producing line-edge roughness in the low-k1 regime, and CD uniformity monitoring that must separate intentional OPC corrections from genuine mask defects.
Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. is the single most prolific assignee in this dataset, with at least 10 relevant filings spanning US, CN, KR, and TW jurisdictions from 2014 to 2025. Samsung’s coverage spans polygon OPC, tiered iterative OPC flows, simulation-based mask ordering, illumination source configuration, and CDU monitoring.
Long-range EUV flare — scattered light from mirror surface roughness — introduces spatially varying background dose across the mask field, distorting critical dimensions. Synopsys pioneered computational flare modeling using FFT decomposition of the flare power spectral density to generate low-frequency and high-frequency flare maps. These maps are used to pre-correct flare-induced CD shifts as an integral part of OPC calibration.
Tiered iterative OPC separates the correction into two passes: an initial fast OPC pass ignoring aberration and flare, followed by a more comprehensive second pass incorporating scanner aberrations and flare. This decomposition reduces total compute time while retaining accuracy for the most aberration-sensitive features. Samsung’s 2020–2021 US filings describe this approach, with the first OPC pass iterating more times than the second.
The most recent filings (2023–2026) signal four directions: source-mask co-optimization where illumination pupil configuration is patented as an integral OPC step (Samsung, 2025); defect-specific OPC targeting line-bridge and pinch-off failures at line-ends in EUV single patterning (Samsung, 2024); pupil facet rendering for EUV imaging control (Samsung, 2026); and EUV-DUV mixed-node overlay correction addressing residual 1–5 nm pattern position errors (Guangzhou Xinrui, 2022–2025).
KLA Corporation owns CDU monitoring methodology patents for EUV reticles across TW (2013, 2018) and CN (2015, 2017) jurisdictions. KLA’s approach generates a CDU map from optical EUV reticle inspection by removing flare-correction CD variations that originate from OPC design data, thereby isolating genuine mask defects. This inspection infrastructure is required to verify OPC compliance in both logic and memory manufacturing contexts.
Data and insights on this page are based on a limited patent and literature dataset and are for reference only. Figures may not represent the complete technology landscape.