Every generation of technology builds upon the tools of the previous one. Sometimes those tools fade into history. Other times, they adapt and return with renewed purpose. Such is the story of extreme ultraviolet lithography, known as EUV. Once a symbol of the semiconductor industry’s relentless pursuit of smaller, faster chips, it now finds itself in a surprising role. Erik Hosler, a semiconductor innovation strategist specializing in cross-domain patterning and photonics integration, recognizes that technologies developed for yesterday’s transistors may hold the key to tomorrow’s quantum machines. His view captures a turning point where legacy and innovation meet under the same beam of light.
In the race to create scalable quantum computers, the conversation often centers on qubits, coherence, and computation. Yet behind every quantum chip lies a physical surface that must be sculpted with precision measured in nanometers. The ability to carve such structures already exists, having been perfected over decades of semiconductor progress. EUV, once a frontier of transistor miniaturization, is emerging as a bridge technology that connects classical precision with quantum possibilities.
Light that Shapes Matter
EUV lithography uses light at wavelengths shorter than any visible color. It can etch features finer than 20 nanometers, a scale so small that it borders on the atomic. To achieve this, the process relies on mirrors, not lenses, and operates in a vacuum condition to prevent light from scattering. For the chip industry, EUV represented a triumph of coordination and persistence. Thousands of engineers spent decades refining the tools, aligning optics, and purifying materials until the light behaved exactly as intended.
In quantum research, that same discipline has become essential. The structures guiding photons or trapping ions must exhibit near-perfect symmetry. Even a single irregularity can disrupt the delicate interference patterns that allow quantum states to interact. EUV’s legacy of extreme precision offers a way to shape these quantum devices with reliability that laboratory equipment alone cannot achieve.
From Shrinking Chips to Expanding Possibility
When EUV reached production maturity, it was celebrated as the end of a long technological marathon. Few expected it to have another role. Yet the very characteristics that made it indispensable for transistors also make it suited to a new generation of optical and photonic systems. Quantum computing depends on patterning that goes beyond geometry. It requires aligning the physical flow of light with the logic of quantum algorithms.
In practice, that means patterning materials that behave unpredictably at the nanoscale. Photonic circuits, for instance, must guide light through channels that can bend and split without introducing loss. These structures cannot simply be smaller; they must be purer and more stable than any semiconductor line ever etched. EUV’s unique wavelength and precision enable that purity, turning what was once a tool for electronic logic into one for quantum coherence.
Old Tools, New Vision
EUV’s revival is not about nostalgia. It represents a shift in perspective about how progress occurs. Technologies rarely disappear. They develop through adaptation and refinement. Quantum engineers are learning that the most advanced tools already exist in the semiconductor world. Instead of building from scratch, they are repurposing decades of development.
This approach has transformed partnerships between industries. Semiconductor foundries, which were once focused solely on transistor scaling, are now collaborating with quantum startups to explore new forms of lithography. Equipment manufacturers adjust their systems for materials that absorb light differently. Metrology firms develop instruments that can verify structures that are too fragile for traditional inspection. Through these collaborations, a familiar process gains a new meaning.
Erik Hosler mentions, “Patterning techniques developed for advanced EUV… might be needed in a photon-based quantum computer.” His insight reflects the profound interconnection between these fields. The light that once built processors for phones and servers now guides photons meant to calculate in entirely new ways. His words remind researchers that innovation often begins by looking backward. The tools perfected for one development can ignite the next if their potential is seen clearly enough.
The Discipline of Precision
Patterning at the quantum level requires not just accuracy but endurance. Surfaces must remain stable in the face of temperature changes, light exposure, and mechanical stress. EUV systems already meet these demands. Their ability to control variables over millions of production cycles gives quantum researchers a level of predictability.
This predictability carries moral weight. It means fewer wasted materials, fewer failed runs, and lower energy use. By relying on established semiconductor infrastructure, quantum research becomes more sustainable and scalable. Precision, in this sense, is not just a technical virtue but an ethical responsibility.
The renewed interest in EUV also challenges assumptions about obsolescence. Technology is often treated as disposable, yet here, an entire platform finds a second life. It demonstrates that longevity in design can create opportunities long after the original goal has been achieved.
Light as a Common Language
At its core, both semiconductor and quantum systems depend on the behavior of light. The reuse of EUV bridges these interpretations, transforming fabrication into a form of communication that spans multiple scales of reality. A single photon used to pattern a wafer can resemble the same photon that later carries information inside a quantum network.
This poetic symmetry gives EUV a quiet importance in the story of progress. It connects the tangible and the theoretical, the mechanical and the abstract. Every pulse of ultraviolet light represents decades of human persistence and coordination, now serving a new and entirely different purpose.
The Continuing Glow of Legacy
Technologies rarely come to an end when they are replaced; instead, they evolve. They continue in new forms, guided by those who remember what made them powerful. EUV’s second act demonstrates that the tools of yesterday can still define tomorrow when given the chance to develop.
The machines designed to print logic gates are now writing the blueprints of quantum computation. The same lenses polished for perfection now align with mirrors that bend light into coherent paths. The cycle of innovation turns quietly, and the boundaries between past and future blur into one long continuum of light.
In the reflection of that light, progress appears less like a race and more like a relay. Each generation passes its precision forward, trusting the next to find new meaning in the same brilliance. EUV’s story is not about reinvention, but recognition. It’s the understanding that every tool, when guided by imagination, can shine again.
