July 18, 2007, San Francisco, CA--At SEMICON West 2007, Cymer is showcasing its new XLR 600i laser source, which offers 90 W of output power at 193 nm. The XLR 600i is the first 90-W argon fluoride (ArF) laser light source designed to enable volume immersion and double patterning lithography at the 32-nm node and beyond.

According to Cymer, the XLR 600i performance advantages rely on a recirculating ring architecture, which replaces the conventional power amplifier stage. The XLR 600i also leverages improved optical stability sources to achieve a step function reduction in operating cost, even as it permits higher wafer throughputs with 90 W. The 6 kHz XLR600i produces improved pulse energy stability, resulting in improved critical dimension control required for the most critical imaging layers at memory, logic and foundry chipmakers.

"A first for the industry, Cymer has demonstrated its technology leadership by introducing 90 W on a proven platform, paving the way to cost-effective immersion and double patterning lithography as required for 32-nm production," said Ed Brown, president and COO. "Once again, Cymer has shown it's possible to successfully bring customers high performance, lower operating costs and extendible technology with the introduction of the XLR 600i."

The XLR, first delivered to the market in early 2007 with the 60W XLR 500i, is an optical evolution of the XLA product series. With more than 400 systems shipped to date, the XL product family has been adopted by the industry as the standard light source in ArF lithography. The XLR 600i extends the family forward to 90W to enable immersion and double patterning production for the 32 nm node and beyond.