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’ 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 and CEO 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.”

Further reading: High-NA-EUV for global microchip production, wileyindustrynews.com, 01 February 2024