Microlithography World articles from May 2004

Microlithography World archives from May 2004

Low-cost lithography for 300mm wafer packaging.(Cover Feature)(wafer-level packaging)
May 1, 2004... Lithography for 300mm wafer-level packaging (WLP) is quite different from that for other applications. The packaging process is extremely cost-sensitive and requires nearly perfect yield with very thick photoresist and photopolymer layers. We...

Laser-scanning projection lithography for wafer-level packaging.(Feature)
May 1, 2004... Seamless high-speed scanning of 300mm wafers with a 1X laser-projection exposure tool results in throughput up to 150wph in wafer-bumping applications. To meet the patterning needs of wafer-level packaging (WLP), the IC industry has relied...

The lithography expert: immersion lithography.(Feature)
May 1, 2004... Immersion lithography. Two years ago saying this phrase to a lithographer might have elicited a perplexed look, or possibly the knowing smile one usually reserves for an eccentric uncle. Today it is the great wet hope of the semiconductor...

Resist pattern collapse prevention for the sub-90nm node.(Feature)
May 1, 2004... Applying an optimized surfactant fluid after deionized water rinse and before spin dry eliminates pattern collapse for four 193nm resists, even for 3.5:1 aspect ratio, 200nm pitch, 100nm CD patterns. The dimensions of IC features continue...

Macrodefect inspection team.(News & Products)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2004... Rudolph Technologies' WaferView team includes three tools to offer real-time inspection of every wafer at each step in the lithography or CMP process. The i-MOD module's detection and classification algorithms automatically adapt to normal...

Scanner converts from dry to wet lithography.(News & Products)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2004... ASML's TWINSCAN XT:1400 is a 0.93NA, 193nm system that images at 65nm in volume production; it also can be used for pre-production testing and development at the 45nm node. The 3G immersion system will be able to transition from dry to...

Azores supports USDC with litho system.(News & Products)(Azores Corp)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2004... Azores Corp. enhanced its Model 5200 PanelPrinter photolithography system to support the US Display Consortium's (USDC) work with the US Army Research Laboratory and other member companies, in efforts to speed commercialization of flexible...

Photoresist stripper recovery addresses waste disposal issue.(News & Products)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2004... Mallinckrodt Baker Inc. has introduced an expanded photoresist-stripper recovery program to collect and reformulate recovered components into new strippers. The program is intended to reduce fab costs and address the demand for environmentally...

UNC school of medicine receives microfab line.(News & Products)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2004... Intelligent Micro Patterning LLC has provided a complete line of microfabrication equipment to the U. of North Carolina School of Medicine, funded by a grant from the North Carolina Biotechnology Center to Dr. Jian Wang. As part of the full set...

TEL opens orders for resist coater/developer.(News & Products)
May 1, 2004... Tokyo Electron Ltd. (TEL) has begun accepting orders for the CLEAN TRACK ACT M photomask resist coater/developer targeted for 6025 substrate processing at the 90-65nm nodes. Three modules are incorporated into one system: a photomask developer,...

Inficon wins patent for control method.(News & Products)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2004... Inficon has been granted US Patent No. 6,700,950 for a method to control critical dimension (CD) error in foundry-style semiconductor fabs. The method--targeted for fabs manufacturing a large variety of parts under one or more technologies that...

Nanometrics, Dainippon form supplier agreement.(Nanometrics will supply DNS with metrology units)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2004... Nanometrics Inc. and Dainippon Screen Manufacturing Co. Ltd. (DNS) have entered into an agreement in which Nanometrics will supply DNS with metrology units to be integrated into DNS's RF3 coater/developer. The Nanometrics unit reportedly...

Probe alignment-mask tool.(News & Products)(RZ Enterprises )(Brief Article)
May 1, 2004... RZ Enterprises developed the PS-1000 to singly expose images of customer-designed probe alignment targets directly onto a chrome mask blank within a grid up to 5 in.[.sup.2] The company claims that the UV exposure rate of ~2000 target...

Chipbond orders litho tool from Ultratech.(News & Products)(Chipbond Technology Corp. has purchased Ultratech's )(Brief Article)
May 1, 2004... Chipbond Technology Corp. has purchased Ultratech's Saturn Spectrum 3e advanced-packaging lithography tool for gold bumping on 6- and 8-in. wafers for display-driver devices. The Saturn Spectrum 3e can handle 4-in. through 8-in. wafer sizes...

EIPBN 2004.(Shows & Conferences)
May 1, 2004... June 1-4 * San Diego, CA The 48th International Conference on Electron, Ion, and Photon Beam Technology and Nanofabrication is dedicated to lithographic science and process technology and its application to micro- and nanofabrication...

10th annual advanced reticle symposium.(Shows & Conferences)
May 1, 2004... June 22 * San Jose, CA The ARS, presented by Synopsys, Microlithography World, and Solid State Technology, is dedicated to addressing the business and technology issues of advanced photomasks. For more information: visit...

Semicon west.(Shows & Conferences)
May 1, 2004... July 12-16 * San Francisco and San Jose, CA Suppliers and manufacturers will come together in a new series of ITRS meetings to report on the latest Roadmap developments and updates, with ITRS chairman Paolo Gargini scheduled as the keynote...

24th annual BACUS symposium on Photomask Technology.(Shows & Conferences)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2004... September 13-17 * Monterey, CA Photomask Technology presentation/paper topics range from wafer fab issues with masks to reticle magnification. The list of exhibitors can be found online at www.spie.org/conferences. For more...

An idea emerges.(Editorial)
May 1, 2004... As the semiconductor industry matures, each incremental forward step takes more and more effort. The ITRS reflects this idea, partly with the famous "brick wall" where problems have no known solution, and partly with the recent deceleration to...