PTB Industry News

International SEMATECH to Utilize Exitech
Microstepper with Lambda Physik F2 Laser

FORT LAUDERDALE, FL, Sept. 23 -- International SEMATECH, a silicon-chip manufacturers' consortium based in Austin, TX, will place an order for an Exitech 157nm F2 laser Microstepper, which is scheduled to begin exposure work in the first quarter of 2000. The tool incorporates a 6-watt, 157nm Lambda Physik NovaOne F630 F2 laser and a 0.6NA 157nm imaging objective manufactured by Tropel Corporation. With a 1.5 x 1.5 image field size, the Exitech tool will be used primarily to carry out high-resolution exposures at 157nm for resist development programs of International SEMATECH, its member companies, and resist manufacturers.

According to Lambda Physik, the NovaLine F600 series -- with repetition rates up and 600 Hz and stabilized power at 10 W -- is the most powerful commercial F2 laser currently available. The NovaLine F600, which incorporates Lambda Physik's metal/ceramic NovaTube and NovaPowerSwitch technologies, is also designed to provide exceptional performance in gas lifetime, pulse energy, and power. Applications include micromachining tough materials such as quartz/fused silica, Teflon/PTFE, and glass; developing next-generation optics, resists, and scanners for DUV lithography at 157nm; micro-optic fabrication and testing; and surface analysis.