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To: niek who wrote (1037)	12/8/2005 2:40:56 AM
From: niek	Respond to of 43559

Carl Zeiss SMT ships EUV optics for ASML alpha tool The Semiconductor Reporter December 7, 2005, 3:15 p.m. EST OBERKOCHEN, Germany -- Carl Zeiss SMT announced today that it has has shipped the first optical system for an extreme ultra violet (EUV) lithography tool to lithography system supplier ASML. The full-field optical system has a numerical aperture of 0.25. The EUV projection optics from Carl Zeiss SMT will be incorporated in the EUV Alpha demo tools. The EUV projection optics is based entirely on mirrors, as there are no optical materials with which refractive lenses can be made for 13-nm light; the light would just be absorbed. The asphericly curved surfaces of the reflective elements need to be produced with a contouring accuracy of only a few atoms, Zeiss said. Surface roughness may also not exceed a few atoms in order to precisely image the mask structures onto the wafer without blurs. The whole projection system, comprising six mirrors, positioned and adjusted with extreme accuracy, works in high vacuum since even minute amounts of residual gas would absorb the EUV radiation. The coatings of the mirrors also play a decisive role, the company said. Sufficient reflectivity can only be reached with a stack of more than 50 double layers consisting of alternating layers of molybdenum and silicon. Each of these double-layers has a thickness of less than 10 nm. "Delivery of the first projection optics from Carl Zeiss SMT is a milestone in ASML's EUV program," said Noreen Harned, ASML vice president of marketing, technology, and new business. "Design and production of the most sophisticated optical systems is the long proven core competence of Carl Zeiss SMT AG." "EUVL is most likely going to play a vital role in structuring future microchips," said Andreas Dorsel, senior vice president and general manager of Carl Zeiss SMT's Lithography Optics Divison. "We are happy to now reap the first results of our long lasting R&D efforts in this field. Delivery of the first optical system for ASML's EUVL alpha demo tool is an important milestone in the introduction of EUVL for mass production of ICs." Carl Zeiss SMT began research & development for EUV optics in mid-1990. To date, the company has invested more than €100 million in basic research and production technology for the highly sophisticated mirror systems. The Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) has supported this development with more than €22 million by means of R&D projects about EUV optical systems. The European Union has also provided support, Zeiss said.