ASML and Zeiss outline a Hyper-NA lithography tool for the next decade.

Engineers from ASML and optics partner Carl Zeiss described a Hyper-NA extreme-ultraviolet lithography system that could be ready in roughly 10 years. The paper says it could print features as small as 5 nanometers, more than one-third smaller than ASML's current High-NA tool.

The concept would reuse the current light source, while Zeiss says it can already make mirrors precise enough for the higher numerical aperture. ASML has begun development work but has not committed to commercial production, so the timetable remains a research target rather than a product launch.