SVG Reinforces Leadership in DUV With Chip Industry's First Production-Worthy 193nm Step-and-Scan Lithography System
Silicon Valley Group's Third-Generation 193nm Tool Introduced as Part of Industry's Most Comprehensive Roadmap of Solutions
for Critical Chip Design Technology
Building on the success of previous generations of step-and-scan lithography systems and reinforcing its leadership in deep ultraviolet (DUV) lithography, Silicon Valley Group (Nasdaq:SVGI) today unveiled the semiconductor industry's first production-worthy 193nm step-and-scan lithography system. At the same time, the company also introduced the industry's most aggressive lithography roadmap to date, outlining comprehensive solutions for 157nm and extreme ultraviolet lithography (EUV) that many expect will enable unparalleled advances in this critical chip technology well into the next century.
The announcement comes at a time when leading industry chipmakers and semiconductor equipment suppliers are questioning which lithography technology to adopt for future generations of chip manufacturing. This is being necessitated by limitations in current lithographic manufacturing processes and driven largely by the demand for new, faster, smaller and more powerful electronics applications.
Coupled with its advanced capabilities, the movement to DUV lithography, a more advanced technology than traditional i-line methods currently in use, is expected to propel SVG to the forefront. The company chose to invest heavily in the DUV path well before other suppliers, who instead are following the i-line market. Consequently, SVG now enjoys a market leadership position in DUV step-and-scan lithography, which experts predict will continue to increase rapidly as chipmakers migrate from older i-line products.
SVG has been instrumental in providing leading-edge lithography for many years. According to a spokesperson at the Solid State Division at Massachusetts Institute of Technology's (MIT) Lincoln Laboratories, "As part of a DARPA-funded effort, SVG built the world's first 193nm wavelength step-and-scan system for MIT in 1993. This system had a 0.5 NA and a 22 x 32.5 mm field size, and has been used to demonstrate the feasibility of a 193nm large field scanner, as well as for resist and device research. Using the system, Lincoln Laboratories made the first CMOS devices to have all levels exposed using 193nm with 200nm gate critical dimensions (CDs)."
"This is a major breakthrough for the industry and our customers worldwide, since it demonstrates our leadership position and further reinforces our capability in providing enabling, production-proven solutions that easily surpass current competing offerings in the 193nm arena by a generation or two," commented Bill Hightower, president, SVG.
Moreover, according to John Shamaly, corporate vice president, marketing, "Already, second-generation systems are well on track for installation in leading semiconductor fabs in early 1999, aided largely by the success of six years of 193nm technology lithography development. With the largest installed base of deep ultraviolet (DUV) scanners operating in the world today, SVG expects the Micrascan 193 to continue to provide the industry's best CD control, overlay and system reliability.
The Micrascan 193 is specified at 130nm for grouped features, with a 0.6-micron depth of focus, and achieves system overlay performance of 45nm. The system also has the largest field size in the industry. Coupled with the industry's only field-proven scanner technology, SVG's third-generation Micrascan 193 system provides a winning solution for the development and production needs of the Semiconductor Industry Association's Technology Roadmap, since it also addresses the challenges of the SIA's 150nm node and beyond with conventional binary reticles, enabling greater depth of focus and process latitude than current higher 248 NA systems.
Silicon Valley Group (Nasdaq:SVGI) is a leading manufacturer of automated wafer processing equipment for the worldwide semiconductor industry. The company designs, manufactures and markets technically sophisticated equipment used in the primary stages of semiconductor manufacturing. Its products include photolithography exposure tools; photoresist processing equipment; oxidation, diffusion and low-pressure chemical vapor deposition processing systems; and precision optical components and systems. For more information, visit http://www.svg.com.
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CONTACT: Silicon Valley Group (PR)
Werner Rust, 408/467-5949
rustw@svg.com
or
Silicon Valley Group (IR)
Nancy Szymanski, 408/467-5870
szymansn@svg.com
or
Mathews & Clark Communications
Stew Chalmers, 408/736-1120
schalmers@mathewsandclark.com
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