Phil,
Is this the article about the smaller chip?
Tuesday February 24, 8:11 am Eastern Time
Company Press Release
University of Texas Team Achieves 0.08 Micron Breakthrough in
Semiconductor Production Technology
DuPont Photomasks Supplies Required Phase Shift Photomask
AUSTIN, Texas-(BUSINESS WIRE)--Feb. 24, 1998-- A University of Texas graduate student research team led by Dr.
Grant Willson has successfully completed a SEMATECH funded project to print 0.08 micron features on a semiconductor
wafer using a 193 nm wavelength stepper.
Currently, the most advanced commercial semiconductor designs are manufactured using 0.25 micron process technology, and
the Semiconductor Industry Association's recently revised roadmap based on the collaborative work of 300 scientists from
industry, government and universities does not call for 0.08 micron feature sizes until the year 2009. The University of Texas
breakthrough is especially impressive since it was achieved with a 193 nm Deep Ultraviolet (DUV) stepper while many
industry experts believed it would be necessary to develop new, post-optical technology to produce feature sizes at or below
0.10 micron. One micron is the equivalent of approximately 1/25,000 of an inch. Each feature resolved at 0.08 micron is
approximately 320 atoms wide.
The 0.08 micron features were generated using an etched quartz phase shift photomask produced by DuPont Photomasks,
Inc. (NASDAQ: DPMI - news), more commonly referred to as DPI, in their Round Rock, Texas
production facility. Photomasks are high purity quartz plates that contain precision images of the features that are patterned
onto semiconductor wafers with lithography steppers to build integrated circuits. The task of building photomasks to enable
semiconductor production becomes progressively more difficult as feature sizes shrink, and special techniques such as phase
shifting must be incorporated in photomasks to provide the required degree of precise focus. Phase shift photomasks function
by allowing a small percentage of the light through the photomask while simultaneously altering the phase of the light transmitted
allowing for improved depth of focus and higher factors of resolution.
Another essential component in the semiconductor manufacturing process is the photoresist, a chemical substance that interacts
with the light source to pattern the image at the required feature sizes onto the semiconductor wafer. The photoresist employed
by the University of Texas team, an amorphous polyolefin, took three years to develop. The polymers had to be specifically
designed to work with the 193 nm wavelength DUV light source used by the ISI 10X stepper to pattern the features; polymers
widely used today by semiconductor producers are formulated for use in processes utilizing 365 nm i-line or 248 nm DUV
light sources and are opaque when exposed to 193 nm light sources.
Dr. Grant Willson, professor of chemistry and chemical engineering at the University of Texas, led the research team that
successfully generated the 0.08 micron features. ''I didn't believe it could be done at first,'' said Dr. Willson. ''It really works
better than my wildest imaginings, and it appears that the process latitude is there to generate smaller features yet.''
''This is a remarkable achievement for the University of Texas research team, and DuPont Photomasks is pleased to have
assisted in their work,'' said Gil Shelden, DuPont Photomasks' director of engineering. ''This is further proof of the enabling
power of photomasks in the semiconductor manufacturing process. As the industry's leading producer, DuPont Photomasks is
focused on creating the photomask technology that will keep the industry moving forward.'' The project was funded by
SEMATECH, a non-profit research consortium of 10 semiconductor manufacturers, and the 0.08 micron features were
generated at SEMATECH's Austin facilities. Kyle Patterson, a University of Texas graduate student on the research team, will
officially present the results of the project at the Society of Photo-Optical Instrumentation Engineers (SPIE) meeting in Santa
Clara, California, on February 24, 1998.
University of Texas
The University of Texas College of Engineering ranks among the top ten public engineering schools in the United States. With
the nation's third highest percentage of faculty elected members of the National Academy of Engineering, the College's 7,000
students gain exposure to the nation's finest engineering practitioners. In 1997 these faculty and students conducted more than
$82 million in research. Graduates include astronaut Alan Bean who flew to the moon and Jean Flynn, the first woman fighter
pilot. The College maintains a Web site at utexas.edu.
DuPont Photomasks, Inc.
DuPont Photomasks is the world's largest photomask manufacturer, operating globally from ten strategically located facilities in
North America, Europe and Asia. The company produces and supplies photomasks as well as photoblanks (photomask
substrates) and pellicles (protective covers for photomasks). DPI is headquartered in Round Rock, Texas, and had worldwide
sales in fiscal 1997 of over $260 million. DPI maintains a Web site at photomask.com.
Note: This release includes forward-looking statements based on management's current plans and expectations. Such
statements involve risks and uncertainties which may cause future activities and results of operations to differ from those
suggested, including risks associated with industry trends, international currency fluctuations and the need to manage growth.
For additional information, please refer to DuPont Photomasks' filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission,
specifically the company's most recent Forms 10-K dated September 15, 1997 and 10-Q dated February 3, 1998, which
identify important risk factors that could cause actual results to differ from those contained in the forward looking statements.
Results for interim periods are not necessarily indicative of results for the year.
Contact:
DPI Investor Relations
Dianne Schedler, 512-310-6559
or
Edelman Worldwide
John Satterfield or Paula Holland, 650-968-4033
or
University of Texas
Becky Rische, 512-471-7272 |
