3 HN users recommended this explainer3 months2025–2026score 4
Years with an HN recommendation, 2007–2026
HN sends people here as the most straightforward and detailed starting point for understanding EUV lithography.
Branch Education's animated deep dive into ASML's EUV photolithography machine and how it prints nanometer-scale transistors onto chips. It covers the system's components and the process of chip manufacturing.
“I highly recommend watching this video about lithography and the machine that makes it all possible” (HN, 2025)
It’s a mind blowing achievement, nothing below sorcery if you think about it. ASML machines are hitting tin droplets with 25kW laser 50,000 times a second to turn them into plasma to create the necessary extreme ultraviolet light, and despite generating 500W of EUV, only a small fraction can reach the wafer, due to loses along the way. I believe it was like 10%. Here’s an incredible, very detailed video about it: [this video]
I'm always fascinated by how brilliant us humans can be. So much so that we can put billions of transistors in very small spaces and in complex structures while also mass producing it. I highly recommend watching this video about lithography and the machine that makes it all possible [1]. [1] [this video]
Explains lithography and the machine that makes it possible.
The Veritasium video is good but their "newscast" style with constant back-and-forth cuts to talking heads can make the presentation a bit disjointed. The more straightforward video of ASML EUV is from Branch Education: [this video] Because that vid gives an overview of the whole machine, it gives context to what each scientist is talking about in the Veritasium interviews.
Straightforward overview of the whole EUV machine.
Sure - once you have dozens of engineers and 5 years under your belt you'll be good to go! This will get you started: [this video] Keep in mind that every wafer makes multiple trips around the fab, and on each trip it visits multiple machines. Broadly, one trip lays down one layer, and you may need 80-100 layers (although I guess DRAM will be fewer). Each layer must be aligned to nanometer precision with previous layers, otherwise the wafer is junk. Then as others have said, once you finish the wafer, you still need to slice it, test the dies, and then package them. Plus all the other stuff.... You'll need billions in investment, not millions - good luck!
Starting point for understanding chip manufacturing.
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