“Werner von Siemens Ring” 2024: Award goes to ZEISS and TRUMPF

• Award for the development of High-NA-EUV lithography and the industrial utilization of the EUV lithography
• Dr. Peter Kuerz (ZEISS SMT) and Dr. Michael Koesters (TRUMPF) will be awarded on behalf of the development teams

The 42nd “Werner von Siemens Ring” will be awarded to the EUV development teams of ZEISS and TRUMPF. The Werner-von-Siemens-Ring Foundation is thereby honoring researchers from both companies for the development of High-NA-EUV lithography and the industrial utilization of EUV technology. Dr. Peter Kuerz (ZEISS SMT) and Dr. Michael Koesters (TRUMPF) will receive the award on behalf of their entire teams on December 13 in Berlin. The “Werner von Siemens Ring” is considered one of the highest German honors for individuals who have significantly advanced technical sciences through their achievements or have opened up new paths as researchers.

The award winners have made a significant contribution to the development of this future technology with the development of High-NA-EUV lithography and the industrial utilization of EUV lithography. Thanks to this technological leap, even more powerful microchips can be produced starting from 2025. This is made possible by the world's most powerful pulsed industrial laser for exposing state-of-the-art microchips from TRUMPF and ZEISS's optical system, which incorporates the most precise mirrors in the world. Together, they are used in lithography machines of the strategic partner ASML.

Andreas Pecher, member of the ZEISS Executive Board and President & Chief Executive Officer of the SMT segment, says, "We live the motto of Werner von Siemens 'Those who think in new and different ways can change the world' every day at ZEISS – that's why the award is an honor for us as team ZEISS. Microchips are critical to social and economic progress and digitalization. We are working to continuously push the boundaries of what is technologically possible and are developing solutions that make microchip production even more economical. This can only be achieved in collaboration with our strategic partner ASML, TRUMPF, and many other network partners. We are delighted to receive this joint award."

TRUMPF Chief Technology Officer, Berthold Schmidt, adds, "We are very pleased to receive the 'Werner von Siemens Ring'. The award underscores the global potential of High-NA-EUV technology. Our collaboration with ZEISS and the Dutch technology company ASML impressively demonstrates how innovations are created in the 21st century. Machines from Europe for the production of the world's most advanced microchips are a success story – and we have written this success story together. It is based on a unique cooperation between all the teams involved, perseverance, and great trust."

To expose microchips using High-NA-EUV technology, optical systems are being used, which are becoming increasingly larger. They capture light from a wider angular range (numerical aperture, NA) to image even finer structures. In High-NA-EUV lithography, the NA increases from 0.33 to 0.55. As a result, the core components of ZEISS's optical system - the illumination system and projection optics - also become significantly larger. Integrated in ASML's wafer scanners, they use extreme ultraviolet (EUV) light to expose the blueprint of a microchip from photomasks onto silicon wafers in various layers. The mirrors used reflect the light and precisely direct it to the correct location, down to the nanometer level.

With High-NA-EUV lithography, even finer structures on the carriers of microchips - the wafers - become possible. The result of this technological leap is a multiplication of computational power. Thus, High-NA-EUV lithography builds the foundation for groundbreaking technologies and future developments such as artificial intelligence, autonomous driving, smart cities, and the Internet of Things.

The “Werner von Siemens Ring” and the individuals being awarded have been important guiding points and a source of motivation for over 100 years for successive generations of researchers in engineering and the natural sciences. To support this cause, the Foundation Council consists of both award winners and high-ranking representatives from technical and scientific societies, including the Federal Institute of Physics and Technology (“Physikalisch-Technische Bundesanstalt”), the German Research Foundation (“Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft”), the Fraunhofer Society (“Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft“), the Max Planck Society (“Max-Planck-Gesellschaft“), the Donors' Association for the Promotion of Sciences and Humanities in Germany (“Stifterverband für die Deutsche Wissenschaft“), the Federation of German Industries (“Bundesverband der Deutschen Industrie”), and the German Federation of Technical and Scientific Associations (“Deutscher Verband Technisch-Wissenschaftlicher Vereine“).