Date: 17th July 2011
ASML Enhances semiconductor chip throughput
from 175 to 200 wafers/hour at 125 shots
ASML Holding NV has announced three new extensions for
its popular immersion lithography semiconductor equipment
TWINSCAN NXT with improvement in imaging, overlay and productivity.
ASML discloses more than 80 NXT systems are in use by chipmakers
around the world manufacturing current state-of-the-art
devices at resolutions of 45- to 32-nm.
ASML has introduced FlexWave programmable wavefronts. FlexWave's
application-specific wavefront correction provides control
to reduce both the aberration fingerprint of the projection
optics and lens heating effects.
The overlay gains importance when the nodes are below 90nm
particularly when the nodes below 45nm. To improve overlay
ASML has developed Reticle Control to compensate for reticle
heating typically found in high dose layers with low transmission
reticles. This enhancement features a new sensor that measures
a reticle's temperature profile throughout its first production
lot, then predicts the resulting thermal expansion per exposure
and calculates feed-forward corrections to lens and stage
parameters. ASML in its paper quotes "printing 65 nm
features would require an overlay of approximately 20 nm.
While this still holds for non-critical layers, manufacturers
are already using one-sixth and looking towards one-tenth
for critical layers".
To make more semiconductor chips in less time , ASML has
increased system throughput on the NXT:1950i by 15-20%.
A Performance Enhancement Package, PEP NXT: 1950i, includes
both hardware and software improvements that extend NXT:
1950i throughput from 175 to 200 semiconductor wafers per
hour at 125 shots, and even 230 wafers per hour at 96 shots.
"Who says you can't get two birds with one stone,"
stated Dan Hutcheson, CEO, VLSI Research. "ASML has
found a way not only to technically achieve 22-nm imaging,
but do it in a way that is economically viable for their
customers."
"ASML strives to continuously improve both the capabilities
and the value of our scanners for customers," said
Jan Smits, senior vice president, TWINSCAN product group
at ASML. "Increasing productivity while improving imaging
and overlay performance is challenging, and this is why
we developed the NXT platform. The extensions announced
today start to realize the platform's full potential."
All three NXT enhancements are also available as field
upgrades. FlexWave and Reticle Control are available now
and PEP NXT: 1950i will be available in Q3 2011.
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