Focus drilling technology for Cymer immersion light sources improves wafer patterning

San Diego, CA--Cymer (Nasdaq: CYMI), supplier of light sources used by chipmakers to pattern advanced semiconductor chips, announced the development of new focus drilling technology for its immersion lithography light sources including the XLR 600ix, XLR500i, XLA 400, and XLA 300. Cymer says focus drilling provides up to a 2X improvement in the depth of focus on the wafer, enabling a larger process window that can positively impact chipmakers' yield.

Laser focus drilling technology was developed to aid chipmakers in patterning deep contact and via structures with thick resists where high depth of focus is required. Cymer’s focus drilling solution is supported by a technique involving operation of the light source at multiple bandwidths utilizing metrology that was designed to measure high-bandwidth spectra. Additionally, the unique spectral shape of Cymer’s light sources can improve depth of focus with minimal impact on other key process parameters.

"This technology and its benefits to chipmakers is the result of more than five years of development effort at Cymer, investigating multiple approaches to improving depth of focus through spectral engineering," said Ed Brown, president and chief operating officer of Cymer. "Our close collaboration over the past year with our direct scanner and chipmaker customers was instrumental in developing an optimum solution."

Light sources equipped with focus drilling are being qualified, and are currently under chipmaker evaluation.

In addition to manufacturing lithography light sources, Cymer is pioneering a new silicon crystallization system for the flat-panel display industry. The installed base of Cymer light sources comprises approximately 3,500 systems. And Cymer says it is currently pioneering the industry’s transition to extreme ultraviolet (EUV) lithography, the next viable step on the technology roadmap for the creation of smaller, faster chips.

SOURCE: Cymer; http://phx.corporate-ir.net/phoenix.zhtml?c=61073&p=irol-newsArticle&ID=1534205