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To: orkrious who wrote (22172)	6/9/1999 11:58:00 AM
From: BillyG	Respond to of 25960

SVG's cluster litho tool targets processes down to 50 nm A service of Semiconductor Business News, CMP Media Inc. Story posted 9 a.m. EST/6 a.m., PST, 6/9/99 By J. Robert Lineback SAN JOSE--Silicon Valley Group Inc. here has introduced a new cluster tool for photolithography resist processes that is capable of supporting both 200- and 300-mm diameter wafers as well as future device-size shrinks down to 70 nanometers and below. The ProCell deep-ultraviolet coat and develop tool is based on a hexagonal cluster platform and it uses a patented synchronous scheduling system, which SVG said overcomes bottlenecks found in lithography track equipment, based on traditional linear configurations. Up to 25 patents have been filed on the ProCell system design, said Boris Lipkin, president of SVG's Track System Division. "We believe this platform will be capable of addressing the lithography processing needs down in the 70- to 50-nm range and will be used for the next 10 years," Lipkin said. The goal is to provide a lithography coat-and-develop tool that's capable of keeping up with the needs of DUV exposure systems. SVG said until now, lithography track systems have mostly been based on linear designs for i-line processes. "With scanners, the industry sees the potential to go to 50-nm, but track is still the big question mark. It presents a great opportunity for the company that can make improvements," Lipkin adds. The ProCell platform is a critical launch for SVG's Track Systems Division, which today has about an 8% market share in the lithography processing equipment segment. A few years ago, SVG held a 22% market share in track systems, and now it now aims to climb back up with 25-30% of worldwide sales, according to Lipkin. SVG is going up against track leaders Tokyo Electron Ltd. (TEL), Dainippoin Screen Manufacturing Co. Ltd., and FSI International Inc. Earlier this spring, SVG previewed the ProCell platform at the Semicon Europa equipment trade show in Munich, promising a jump in wafer throughput based on the system's close-packed hexagonal cell structure and simple robotics for wafer handling (see April 14 story). ProCell uses a patented synchronous scheduling algorithm, called Advanced Guidance System (AGS), to optimize wafer movement by calculating the optimal path before moving substrates. More than 40 wafers can be process simultaneously with varying position, time requirements and sequencing, according to the company. Shipments of ProCell systems will begin in November. After the first 20 systems have been shipped, SVG anticipates being able to install one ProCell system in a wafer fab once a week. "Installation will be very fast--almost like plugging in a toaster," quipped Lipkin. "In the past it has taken up to a couple of months to install track systems. The modular design of ProCell helps to speed up the delivery and setup time." SVG will publicly demonstrate the ProCell system during Semicon West in San Francisco, July 12-14.