The transition to scanners for semiconductor lithography in a rigid ultraviolet range with a wavelength of 13.5 nm not just rumbled, it moved over at least five, or even more years. Once upon a time, manufacturers were going to start using EUV-Litography in 2005 or so. A series of large and small crises broke these plans. A crisis «Dotcom», Crisis of computer memory overproduction, corporate crisis, financial and credit crisis of 2008, the beginning of a reduction in the PC market — This all restrained serious capital infusions into fundamentally new equipment. They pulled on the old one: they drove off two projections with slightly displaced photo -locomotive clips, played with half -core and interference, to increase the permissive ability immersed the optics of projectors in liquids — 193-nm scanners all worked and worked. Until the process with the norms of 7 Nm, as it turned out, without an EUV project, you can still do. Further — It’s more expensive for yourself. In other words, the transition to an EUV project is still.
Unfortunately, EUV scanners — This is not all that is necessary to switch to new equipment. A new photosensitive material is required to work with EUV radiation — photoresist, as well as photomas from another material. The radiation is very stiff and traditional materials are quickly and reliably destroyed under its influence. The cost of photographs has long approached one million US dollars for each, and no one in their right mind is going to burn such an expensive thing in one pass. It should also be borne in mind that the optical system of EUV scanners works on reflection — through a system of focusing mirrors, while the optical system of modern scanners works on the lumen. Accordingly, new photomas should be mirror, not transparent. In general, there are many unresolved problems, and there is less time before the desired start of production using EUV scanners. The industry is eager to start the commercial use of EUV scanners in 2018 or in 2019 — After two or three years.
The general principle of organizing the optical system of the EUV installation
It can be expected that many problems related to EUV-lithography can not be solved alone — They are complex, and the solution requires significant research costs. In this regard, Globalfoundries and the Suny Polytechnic Institute (New York) agreed to create an EUV-Litography Center for the Study of Problems. The center will solve issues using EUV scanners for the production of semiconductors with norms of 7 nm and less. The amount of financing provided — 500 million dollars of CSU for five years. The center will receive one ASML NXE scanner: 3300 and reaches about 100 researchers. It seems that the organizers were late for five years old, but it will not even be superfluous even now.
Source:
- eetimes.com