Abstract: The set of industries represented by lithography is in the predicament of "technology path lock-in," and their ability to progress toward technological breakthroughs and industrial change depends on their ability to break the "technology path lock-in." This study examines the correlation between recent scientific research and the technological path to extend and expand the main technological path to the final research frontiers. The finding reveals areas where incremental innovation and breakthroughs can occur, providing latecomers with the opportunity to catch up and break the technological lock-in. It shows that the technological path of lithography evolves in the following directions: nanoimprinting technology, demolding technology, photomask positioning, and EUV photoresist process. Further, the result shows that the technological themes of the technological path are related to scientific research, but simultaneously there are distinctive differences. In this vein, it is concluded that breakthrough strategies can be adopted from two dimensions: path-following innovative path and technological leapfrog. Thus, this study presents practical and theoretical implications for discovering the opportunities for technological breakthrough and breaking the "technological path lock-in" of developed countries to China.