Silicon Investor (SI) -- The First Internet Community

STOCKTALK

We've detected that you're using an ad content blocking browser plug-in or feature. Ads provide a critical source of revenue to the continued operation of Silicon Investor. We ask that you disable ad blocking while on Silicon Investor in the best interests of our community. If you are not using an ad blocker but are still receiving this message, make sure your browser's tracking protection is set to the 'standard' level.

Technology Stocks : Cymer (CYMI) -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Justa Werkenstiff who wrote (7334)	10/30/1997 12:15:00 PM
From: BillyG	Respond to of 25960

Thanks JW, that's what we wanted to hear! (eom)

To: Justa Werkenstiff who wrote (7334)	10/30/1997 1:13:00 PM
From: nycnpbbkr	Respond to of 25960

Why "I Hear" SVGI has a great step and Scanner Cymer laser based product. The illumination of the mask (aka reticle) is done with partially (spatial) coherent light. I'd have to draw you a picture but it's as if the effective source is variable diameter disk. Coherent light would be a point of light incoherent would be a huge disk. We want something in between. This is complicated to discuss but it's one of the most important elements of advanced lithography that people take for granted. It's also where Cymer gets involved. To an optical physicist this is the realm of statistical optics. To further complicate the illumination part of the system, all stepper and step-and-scan manufacturers are offering off-axis illumination (OAI). This includes annular illumination and quadrupole illumination. Very, Very useful. The problem with these knobs and techniques is that they are not intuitive. You must use a computer to optimize the settings. This is were I spent years. As of 1994, I'd done literally tens of millions of simulations of the types of systems that are now being considered for purchase in 256nm and 193nm systems. In terms of investment I think SVGI will come into play in a very big way soon. I'm not sure when. It is definatly one worth watching closely. (An industry report from two years ago said that 100 fabs were being constructed worldwide through the year 2000!) I started to average in. I'm going to try to go in to see them sometime. Why has ASMLF done so well so far while SVGI has not? I think the answer is simple. The stepper is a far simpler system from mechanical dynamics standpoint and "cleaner" from the optical physics perspective... much better to develop early DUV processes on. The step and scan system has more degrees-of -freedom for errors to occur. It would be more difficult to do controlled process developement when there are more compleicating factors. But the Scanner is absolutely neccesary for very large random logic chips like microprocessors, ASICS, and "systems on a chip" that many US manufacturers increasingly getting into.