Company News
Staff -- Semiconductor International, 12/1/2001
Photronics Inc. (Jupiter, Fla.) has developed an e-beam patterning and quartz etching capability for producing phase masks, used to manufacture passive optical components. In particular, phase masks are used for fiber Bragg gratings (FBGs), critical components for controlling wavelength selectivity and dispersion compensation in optical networks. Photronics' e-beam approach—which serves as an alternative to interference lithography—is made viable by reduced stitching errors.
Micronic Laser Systems AB (Täby, Sweden) has increased the resolution capabilities for all configurations of its MP80+ and MP170+ systems. Maximum resolution has improved from 4 to 2.5 µm, and from 4.5 to 3 µm. In addition, the MP systems may now be equipped with a laser optimized for work with chrome masks. A choice of three laser configurations includes those suitable for chrome, emulsion or a chrome/emulsion combination.
A leading U.S. semiconductor manufacturer has selected the nm1300 from RAVE LLC (Delray Beach, Fla.) for repair of advanced phase-shift masks (PSMs). The system is scheduled for delivery in early 2002. The tool can remove defects in quartz, molybdenum silicide and binary chrome masks to 130 nm mask specifications, and is upgradeable to 100 nm requirements.
Equipping Korea’s first all-scanner foundry, ASML (Veldhoven, Netherlands) has sold i-line and DUV Step & Scan systems to DongBu Electronics Co. Ltd. (Seoul, Korea) to manufacture standard logic, analog and embedded flash products. The equipment — including the PAS 5500/400C and PAS 5500/750E systems — is being installed at DongBu’s EumSung facility.
Based on design data generated by Simplex Solutions Inc. (Sunnyvale, Calif.), DuPont Photomasks Inc. (DPI, Round Rock, Texas) used existing production equipment to successfully write and inspect the first X Architecture test mask. The X Architecture uses diagonal interconnect to reduce the total interconnect on a chip by >20%. The X Initiative is a group of companies throughout the semiconductor industry working together to accelerate the availability of X Architecture.
Carl Zeiss (Oberkochen, Germany) has spun its Semiconductor Technology business group into a wholly owned subsidiary, Carl Zeiss Semiconductor Manufacturing Technologies AG. Hermann Gerlinger, previously executive vice president and general manager of the business group, was appointed CEO of the subsidiary. Daniel Schoch, previously financial controller, was made CFO.
