Joint venture results in narrow-linewidth laser source
A two-and-one-half-year joint venture by Lambda Physik (Göttingen, Germany) and Matsushita Research Institute (Tokyo, Japan) has resulted in an extremely narrow-linewidth laser source for 0.18-µm-feature excimer-based lithography. The new krypton fluoride laser incorporates the laser technology of Lambda Physik and Matsushita`s resonator design. The laser emits a 248-nm beam with a spectral linewidth of 0.6 pm, which is the narrowest to date, according Lambda Physik president Dirk Basting. He says, "You can print very fine lines if you can achieve very low chromatic dispersion. You must concentrate the energy around 0.6 pm or the lithographic contrast ratio will decline." Initially the laser system will be manufactured at the company`s headquarters in Germany. The system should sell for approximately $500,000 per unit and find use in manufacturing 256-Mbit and 1-Gbit DRAM chips.