Flashback: EMLC 2026

Keynote Prof. Anthony Yen - Connecting the Past and the Future

Right from the very first presentation  it became clear why a conference on this topic was held in Jena. In his presentation titled “Imaging near the resolution limit: from Abbe’s theory of microscopy to high-NA EUV lithography”, Prof. Anthony Yen, Vice President at ASML and Head of the Technology Development Center, spanned a bridge from  1873, the year in which Ernst Abbe documented his fundamental formula for the resolving power of optical systems, through the various stages and wavelengths of lithography technology, all the way to the present and future with ASML’s latest and most sophisticated EUV lithography systems.

Almost every presentation and almost every paper on lithography topics refers in some way to the Abbe equation, which describes how the maximum resolving power of an optical system is determined by the wavelength of the radiation used, the refractive index of the medium, and the aperture angle of the optical system (this equation is often referred to as the Rayleigh equation, but this is historically incorrect, as Rayleigh addressed a slightly different problem - and did so about six years later). In his keynote address, Prof. Anthony Yen vividly illustrated how the steady progress of our industry is linked to this fundamental insight which was discovered in Jena approximately 155 years ago.

Keynote Prof. Andreas Tünnermann: Jena’s contributions to scientific progress

The second keynote by Prof. Tünnermann, Director of the Fraunhofer IAP in Jena, also focused on Jena’s contributions to scientific progress - in the present day. In his keynote, he discussed findings regarding the application of current lithography technologies in micro- and nano-optics and the integration of microelectronic and photonic functions on a single chip to enable faster data transmission. One particularly outstanding recent achievement is the fabrication of a special optical grating for a spectrometer on ESA’s GAIA satellite which has taken our view of the Milky Way and our immediate cosmic neighbourhood to an entirely new level.

Zeiss Award for Talents in Photomask Industry

The “Zeiss Award for Talents in the Photomask Industry” is presented annually for the best student presentation. This year, the award went to the paper “Surface-sensitive metrology on periodic nanostructures with various X-ray methods” by Vinh-Binh Truong (PTB).

Experimenting with imaginata

In addition to presentations in the form of talks or posters, the technical exhibition, the Get-Together on Monday evening, and the conference dinner on Tuesday evening are all part of the EMLC’s regular program, offering ample opportunity for conversations and in-depth discussions on the conference topics. This year, the dinner took place at “Imaginata,” an industrial heritage site with the charm of the 1920s, a former substation. So that's why we had macro-electronics instead of microelectronics that evening. In the adjoining halls, designed in the late Bauhaus style, the interested audience was offered a variety of physics experiments to try out for themselves, ensuring that the evening came to an entertaining close with a mix of a dinner buffet and hands-on activities.

Keynote Dr. Jin Choi: Development and current state of Mask Technology

The keynote by Dr. Jin Choi, Vice President of Technology at Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd., then focused on the development and current state of mask technology at Samsung and in the semiconductor industry in general. A key part of the presentation was the report on the results of a survey of 16 leading companies in the mask industry (mask manufacturers and equipment manufacturers) regarding the future directions of this technology, which is continually approaching its physical limits.

Keynote Dr. Clemens Neuenhahn: Challenges concerning the Mask Ecosystem

The fourth keynote of this conference, delivered by Dr. Clemens Neuenhahn, Head of ZEISS Semiconductor Mask Solutions at Carl Zeiss SMT, provided a fitting overview of the challenges - both those already overcome and those expected - for the equipment with which Zeiss SMT contributes to the mask ecosystem - primarily equipment for measuring, qualifying, and repairing masks.

Bye, Jena - see you in Dresden next year!

Two highlights of this EMLC 2026 should not go unmentioned here: On Monday morning, a guided city tour was offered with a special focus on the city’s scientific and economic history; this attracted no fewer than 80 participants, primarily international attendees. Additionally, during conference breaks, attendees were able to tour the interior of the Abbe Monument (which is not otherwise open to the public and is located directly next to the conference building).

The 42nd EMLC conference will take place in Dresden on June 15-17, 2027.