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Technology Stocks : ASML Holding NV -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: niek who wrote (1304)	11/29/2006 12:53:30 PM
From: niek	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 43522

Playing catch-up, Canon preps free immersion tools EE Times 11/27/2006 San Jose, Calif. -- Hoping to regain its footing in lithography, Japan's Canon Inc. will sweeten the introduction of its first-ever 193-nanometer immersion scanner with an unprecedented offer of free demonstration tools to select customers, according to sources in the industry. The company is also readying a "dry" 193-nm scanner. Canon (Tokyo) is said to be offering a handful of free tools for the AS7 for good reason. Despite its massive resources, the company has lagged behind its two rivals, ASML Holding NV and Nikon Corp., in the lithography market for a number of years. But Canon stands a fighting chance with the AS7, a 193-nm immersion scanner that incorporates a twin-stage technology and a projection with a hyper-numerical aperture (NA) of 1.35, sources said. The company is expected to formally introduce the scanner in the first part of 2007. In addition, the company is also preparing to introduce the AS5, a new "dry" 193-nm scanner for advanced chip production, sources added. Canon declined to comment on the tools and the reported pricing terms. It is common practice for chip-equipment vendors to offer free evaluation fab tools for customers on a select basis, but the practice has been unheard of in the advanced immersion lithography space--at least until now. Canon's lithography-tool rivals, ASML and Nikon, separately insist that they are reluctant to offer free demonstration tools because of the massive R&D and support costs the technology requires. A new 193-nm immersion scanner is expected to cost between $25 million and $40 million--per unit. The hyper-NA immersion scanners, which have a projection lens above 1.0 NA, are required for chip production at the 45-nm "half-pitch" node and beyond. Current workhorse "dry" 193-nm scanners are expected to run out of steam at the 65-nm half-pitch node. Depth of focus In immersion lithography, the space between the projection lens and the wafer is filled with water. Immersion technology is expected to offer a better depth of focus over conventional dry lithography scanners. The technology could potentially extend 193-nm tools down to 40 nm, according to analysts. The "Big Three" lithography vendors --ASML, Canon and Nikon--have taken different approaches to immersion. To gain experience in the fledgling market, ASML and, to a lesser degree, Nikon introduced "preproduction" immersion tools with NAs of less than 1.0. ASML and Nikon have also shipped immersion tools with hyper-NAs of greater than 1.0. The tools are said to be geared for production at the 45-nm half-pitch node and beyond. But it's early in the game for immersion. Chip makers are still developing their 193-nm immersion scanners for production at the 45-nm node, said Bill Arnold, chief scientist for ASML. "We've seen these tools used for product development," Arnold said. "We're not aware that immersion is in mass production--yet." So far, though, ASML has shipped 28 immersion tools to customers, including the preproduction and full-blown production units. Rival Nikon plans to ship 14 immersion tools in its current fiscal year. In sharp contrast, Canon skipped right past the preproduction stage, moving directly to production with the AS7. But by skipping the preproduction phase, Canon is taking a big chance, said Risto Puhakka, president of VLSI Research (Santa Clara, Calif.). "It's a risky proposition," Puhakka said. "If you have been working with immersion early on, you will gain some valuable experience." Consequently, Canon has a lot to prove. "It's critical for them to deliver a production-worthy tool," Puhakka said. "To be honest, it's going to be a challenge for them to be competitive in the market. It's also not going to be easy for ASML and Nikon. We'll know where each one of them stands in the near future."