A pellicle can be understood simply as a thin protective film placed over the photomask. It prevents dust particles from reaching the mask itself by covering it with a transparent membrane.
The problem, however, is that EUV light carries far more energy than previous lithography sources. In the earlier ArF process, pellicles could be made from amorphous fluoropolymers or silicon-based polymers. But EUV light either melts, deforms, or fails to pass through these conventional materials. This means that EUV pellicles must be made from new materials that are heat-resistant, highly transparent to EUV, and mechanically stable.
This challenge is exactly why even EUV equipment makers like ASML are struggling.
The semiconductor ecosystem is vast, and when it comes to lithography equipment, the supply chain looks like this: foundries → EUV toolmakers → pellicle suppliers → pellicle membrane developers. If even one link in this chain fails, advanced semiconductor manufacturing becomes nearly impossible.
Today, High-NA EUV systems are being introduced by TSMC, Samsung, and Intel. These machines are essential for nodes below 2 nanometers. As a result, the pellicle industry is racing to identify materials that can endure heat, minimize EUV absorption, and maintain mechanical stability.
