Imec, Tokyo Electron Extend Partnership

Imec has extended its strategic partnership with Tokyo Electron (TEL), a leading Japanese supplier of semiconductor production equipment. The agreement marks the start of a new five-year phase in their long-standing alliance.

It will enable imec and TEL to deepen their joint R&D efforts in key areas such as next-generation patterning, advanced logic device processing, future memory development, and 3D integration – all aimed at developing semiconductor nodes beyond 2nm.  

Since 1995, imec and TEL have partnered to drive advances in patterning, logic, memory, and 3D integration. Their long-standing collaboration has led to key breakthroughs in areas such as High NA EUV lithography, etching, wet processing and, deposition. A standout achievement was the joint development of EUV resist coating track technology, which – thanks to its significantly improved defectivity control – has played a pivotal role in enabling the introduction of EUV technology into production.  

Building on this foundation, the renewed partnership will focus on co-developing tools and process technologies to support the next wave of semiconductor scaling. Joint efforts will target High NA patterning technologies, aiming to boost performance through optimized material systems and improved defectivity control, as well as advanced deposition and etch solutions for next-generation CFET devices.

“This extended collaboration is another strong example of imec’s commitment to building international R&D partnerships that benefit the entire semiconductor ecosystem. By deepening our alignment with TEL, we can garner valuable insights that will strengthen other flagship initiatives – such as the NanoIC pilot line under the European Chips Act,” said Luc Van den hove, CEO of imec.