ASML Announces TWINSCAN XT:1400 for Dry or Wet Lithography.Business Editors/High-Tech Writers VELDHOVEN, Netherlands--(BUSINESS WIRE)--April 20, 2004 ASML Holding ASML is a Dutch company and the world’s primary supplier of lithography systems for the semiconductor industry. Of all the major chip producers worldwide, more than 80% are ASML customers. NV (ASML ASML Abstract State Machine Language ASML Anisotropic Shielded Microstrip Line ) today introduced the newest member of its TWINSCAN(TM) platform, the TWINSCAN XT:1400. The system is a 0.93 NA, 193 nm scanner that images at the 65 nm node in volume production environments. The XT:1400 can also be used for pre-production testing and development at the 45 nm node. The first shipments are slated for December 2004. The XT:1400 has a unique architecture found only in ASML systems. The design provides customers with the option of transitioning the system from "dry" to immersion lithography Immersion lithography is a photolithography resolution enhancement technique that replaces the usual air gap between the final lens and the wafer surface with a liquid medium that has a refractive index greater than one. on the fab or factory floor through an 'immersion conversion' kit available in Q4 2005. The XT:1400 gives customers the flexibility to include immersion immersion /im·mer·sion/ (i-mer´zhun) 1. the plunging of a body into a liquid. 2. the use of the microscope with the object and object glass both covered with a liquid. into their technology roadmaps The context of product management The existence of product managers in the product software industry indicates that software is becoming more and more commercialized as a standard product. while protecting their investments in dry 193 nm technology. "ASML innovations focus on evolving customer needs. The XT:1400 is packed with choices. Customers can either volume-produce chips at the 65 nm node or develop their processes for chip manufacturing at the 45 nm node," said Martin van den Brink, executive vice president, marketing and technology, ASML. "The strategy behind our high NA, immersion-prepared system means chipmakers move towards new technologies at their own pace and with minimum investment. This significantly lowers the risk traditionally associated with wavelength reductions. The XT:1400 constitutes ASML's third generation of immersion tools - the 1150i was our prototype and the XT:1250i was our pre-production tool, both were announced last year," van den Brink concluded. The immersion conversion kit for the XT:1400 is comprised of three main components - a lens suitable for immersion use, immersion-compatible wafer stages and immersion infrastructure. Conversion from a dry to a wet platform can be achieved in a matter of weeks and will increase the process latitude of the system. The XT:1400 comes equipped with Ultra-k1(TM), ASML's hardware and software portfolio of imaging enhancement technologies that allows the shrinking of circuit features, ensures high die yields and maximizes bottom-line return. About ASML ASML is the world's leading provider of lithography lithography (lĭthŏg`rəfē), type of planographic or surface printing. It is distinguished from letterpress (relief) printing and from intaglio printing (in which the design is cut or etched into the plate). systems for the semiconductor industry, manufacturing complex machines that are critical to the production of integrated circuits Integrated circuits Miniature electronic circuits produced within and upon a single semiconductor crystal, usually silicon. Integrated circuits range in complexity from simple logic circuits and amplifiers, about 1/20 in. (1. or chips. Headquartered in Veldhoven, the Netherlands, ASML is traded on Euronext Amsterdam and NASDAQ NASDAQ in full National Association of Securities Dealers Automated Quotations U.S. market for over-the-counter securities. Established in 1971 by the National Association of Securities Dealers (NASD), NASDAQ is an automated quotation system that reports on under the symbol ASML. For more information, visit the Web site at www.asml.com. |
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