ASML Introduces Industry's First Immersion Lithography Tool.Business Editors/High-Tech Writers SEMICON SEMICON Semiconductors Equipment and Material International Conference Japan 2003 TOKYO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Dec. 3, 2003 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 announced the industry's first 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. system - the TWINSCAN(TM) XT:1250i - a 0.85 NA, 193 nm pre-production 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). scanner that combines the improved depth of focus of immersion tools with the precision of "dry" lithography systems. ASML has already booked a customer order for the XT:1250i with initial delivery set for Q3 2004. ASML has a unique competitive advantage in immersion techniques due, in part, to the dual-stage design of its TWINSCAN system. Wafer measurement - including focus and overlay - is completed in the dry stage (the metrology station) while the imaging process, using immersion fluid applied between the wafer and the lens, is completed in the other, wet stage (the exposure station). The dual-stage advantage of TWINSCAN systems enables customers to gain the process enhancements of immersion and continue with familiar and proven metrology. Another benefit to customers from ASML immersion systems includes the similar lenses used for both immersion and dry lithography. Customers choose the systems that meet their needs and only slight lens modifications are required. "ASML marks its technology leadership with another industry first - the first ever pre-production immersion system. Our customers and the market have long debated the benefits of 157 nm vs. immersion technologies. With the introduction of the XT:1250i, ASML has committed itself to be the only company that delivers both. Customers have their choice," said Doug Dunn, president and CEO (1) (Chief Executive Officer) The highest individual in command of an organization. Typically the president of the company, the CEO reports to the Chairman of the Board. , ASML. The XT:1250i is the immersion version of ASML's recently announced TWINSCAN XT:1250. Both systems operate at the 65 nm node with half-pitch resolution at 70 nm. The XT:1250 is geared for advanced production, while the XT:1250i allows customers to test and qualify immersion processes. The XT:1250 and XT:1250i come equipped with Ultra-k(1)(TM), a hardware and software portfolio that enables chipmakers to shrink circuit features, ensure high die yields and maximize bottom-line return. About ASML ASML is the world's leading provider of lithography 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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