Metasurfaces are two-dimensional (2D), nanoengineered surfaces that interact strongly with electromagnetic waves and can control light with remarkable precision. These ultra-thin layers can be used to develop a wide range of advanced technologies, including optical photonic, sensing and communication systems.

Active metasurfaces, whose electromagnetic response can be dynamically tuned in real-time, are particularly promising for advanced real-world applications, particularly for the development of reconfigurable antennas, highly sensitive sensors and other adaptive systems. These metasurfaces can also serve as optical modulators, devices that adjust the intensity or phase of light and thus enable the encoding of information onto light beams.

While engineers have introduced various metasurface-based optical modulators over the past few years, most devices developed so far require high-voltage electrical signals to operate. This means that to noticeably change the optical response of the metasurfaces they are based on, users need to apply a strong electrical field to them.

Chirality, a property where structures have a distinct left- or right-handedness, allows natural semiconductors to move charge and convert energy with high efficiency by controlling electron spin and the angular momentum of light. A new study has revealed that many conjugated polymers, long considered structurally neutral, can spontaneously twist into chiral shapes. This surprising behavior, overlooked for decades, could pave the way for development of a new class of energy-efficient electronics inspired by nature.

TSMC is also exploring the possibility of applying similar dynamic energy control mechanisms to other lithography equipment, including DUV scanners, as well as additional modules outside the lithography sector.

While TSMC did not reveal what, exactly, its EUV Dynamic Energy Saving Program involves, that it is applicable to DUV systems and other machinery means that it does not exploit EUV-specific peculiarities. For example, the program could implement adaptive power scaling based on real-time operational status. If wafers are not queued for immediate processing, the EUV tool could intelligently pause or shift to a low-power state rather than continuously consume full power. Such an approach would require real-time data exchange across the cleanroom as well as optimizations on process/production flow levels (though, we are speculating).

TSMC has been increasing the power efficiency of its EUV fab tools — which are notorious for their power consumption — for years, now. In mid-2024, the company announced that it had though without disclosing what exactly had been done…