To All:
Canon's new stepper is using a CYMER 5000 series excimer laser!
GM
Canon Semiconductor Introduces High Throughput, High NA, DUV Lithography Stepper
Santa Clara, CA--Feb. 2, 1998--Canon U.S.A., Inc., Semiconductor Equipment Division, has introduced a higher throughput excimer-laser stepper, the FPA-3000EX5, that has a newly designed projection lens with a numeric aperture (NA) of 0.63, improved field flatness and lower distortion.
The EX5 easily resolves 0.22-micron features over an exposure area of 22 mm x 22 mm with conventional photo processes. Optical performance can be extended into the realm of the 0.18-micron design rule by incorporating process enhancements along with Canon's unique CQUEST II off-axis illumination mode. Besides advanced optical performance, the EX5 also offers a 23% higher throughput than its EX4 predecessor.
"A growing segment of the market would like to follow a more conventional path as they approach the 0.18-micron era," said Phillip M. Ware, director of technical marketing for Canon U.S.A. Semiconductor. "What we have in the EX5 is a traditional stepper platform with the extendibility to cover critical layer requirements of 0.18-micron design rule lithography, while providing convenient mix-and-match compatibility with existing i-line tools...plus the advantage of using 5x reticles."
New and exclusive features of the FPA-3000EX5 combine to deliver more than 90 wafers per hour (8-inch, 60 shots, 300 J/m2) with high optical resolution and reduced laser operation costs. These features include increased laser illumination intensity, "on-the-fly" focusing, a CCD OPTF II Focusing System, Advanced Global Alignment (AGA), and a new through-the-lens phase detection alignment (PDA) system. The EX5 uses a Cymer 5000 series excimer laser source with increased intensity output of 3500 W/m2 for high wafer throughput.
The new EX5, designed for mass-producing 64-megabyte and advanced 256-megabyte DRAM chips and MPUs, shares many of technology innovations found in the FPA-3000i5, the FPA-3000iW, and other models in Canon's i-line stepper family.
"The EX5 is part of our aggressive plan to own a lot more of the global lithography market by the year 2000," Ware said. Canon unveiled the FPA-3000EX5 stepper in December 1997 at SEMICON/Japan and has begun to receive orders for the new DUV systems for deliveries as early as July 1998.
The Semiconductor Equipment Division of Canon USA, Inc., based in Santa Clara, Calif., is a leading manufacturer of step-and-repeat and step-and-scan photolithography tools used in semiconductor fabrication and of large panel aligners for AMLCD flat panel displays.
Canon USA, Inc., is a leader in professional and consumer imaging equipment and information systems. Headquartered in Lake Success, N.Y., it oversees sales and marketing, manufacturing, and research and development throughout North, Central and South America and the Caribbean.
CONTACT:
Canon U.S.A., Inc., Semiconductor Equipment Division
Phillip Ware, 972-409-7845; or Yuan Zhang, 972-409-7841
or
Bozell Kamstra
Bill Keck, 580-233-2496 |
