IMEC's sub-45nm CMOS core partners  have already committed to the program. Now two other leading IC manufacturers, NEC EL and Sony Corporation, have joined the IIAP. Tool suppliers include ASML, Carl Zeiss, Cymer, Donaldson, Extraction Systems, KLA-Tencor, Lam Research and TEL. Resist and BARC suppliers comprise Arch, AZ, JSR, Shin-Etsu, TOK, Brewer Science and Nissan Chemicals. The mask shops, DNP, Photronics and Toppan, have also joined the program.  Software suppliers include ASML Masktools, KLA-Tencor Finle, Mentor Graphics, Sigma-C and Synopsys.

IMEC's strategic partnership with ASML allows IMEC’s partners to do research on the TWINSCAN™ XT:1250i, which has the highest NA (0.85) for an immersion tool available in the world. The tool will soon be installed in IMEC’s new 300mm research facility and will become fully operational in January.

Meanwhile, exposures have been done on the XT:1250i system at ASML premises and 70nm dense lines have been printed with 6% attenuated phase-shift mask. A depth-of-focus of 0.7µm, which is 1.7 times larger than obtained with dry lithography on the AT:1250, has been achieved.