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To: LLCF who wrote (942)	3/23/1998 8:18:00 PM
From: James Word	Respond to of 1305

David: "have Nikkon or Cannon shipped production versions of sub u.25 tools that you know of?" Ive had discussions with all the big stepper suppliers. The only steppers you can buy right now are guaranteed to 0.25um resolution, not below. If you use off-axis they will spec their systems maybe down to 0.22um or 0.2um. Off-axis is not usable by logic IC manufacturers due to the pattern dependent nature of OAI. Sub 0.25um systems will not show up for another 9-12months. Anyone doing pruduction below 0.25um is going into uncharted territory. An improvement in optics quality (reduced aberrations) is the goal of most of the stepper vendors. SVGL has a slight edge since they have mastered scanning technology (at least more so than the other 3 guys) and scanning is necessary for 0.18um production with 248nm illumination. I would expect to see beta tools using 193nm ArF excimer laser illumination by mid-1999. James Word

To: LLCF who wrote (942)	3/24/1998 9:13:00 AM
From: Katherine Derbyshire	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 1305

>>Just to follow up on my last post... have Nikkon or Cannon shipped production versions of sub u.25 tools that you know of?<< Both companies have announced 248 nm exposure tools that are claimed to be capable of production volumes in that feature size range. I have no knowledge on orders or shipments. I have heard that both stepper makers and chipmakers have had difficulty ramping 0.25 micron production, but that's normal in any technology transition. Katherine