UV Lasers: Injection-Lock Technology Fires 450 mm Excimer Laser Lithographic Engine
In the semiconductor manufacturing industry, there are growing concerns over future environmental impact as enormous fabs expand and new generations of equipment become larger and more powerful. To address these concerns, Gigaphoton has implemented various green initiatives for many years under its EcoPhoton program, such as the GigaTwin ultraviolet (UV) lithography laser platform based on injection-lock technology.
GigaTwin injection-lock technology reduces electricity and gas utilization of the laser by up to 50%. Together with other technical advances, injection-lock technology enables our laser system to be technically and ecologically viable for high-volume, 450 mm semiconductor wafer manufacturing.
450 mm wafer production challenges
Today, 193 nm UV argon fluoride (ArF) excimer lasers are widely used in wafer volume production below the 45 nm node. For the 32 nm node and beyond, this technology can be applied not only for immersion lithography but also for such advanced lithography technologies as multipatterning lithography. These lasers are considered the mainstream solution until extreme ultraviolet (EUV) lithography is ready.
With next-generation process technologies such as 450 mm wafer production, as the wafer size increases, so does the number of die. In turn, the laser pulse width used for each die will need to decrease due to mechanical limits, reducing throughput.
Full article by Hitomi Fukuda, LaserFocusWorld
About the Author
Roger Chu is the Marketing Coordinator at GSAmart, the leading GSA sales and marketing partner for technology companies.
