ASML (NASDAQ:ASML)(Amsterdam:ASML)
and its subsidiary Brion Technologies today announce LithoTuner™, a new
suite of products that integrates computational and wafer lithography to improve
semiconductor manufacturability. LithoTuner Pattern Matcher and LithoTuner Pattern
Matcher FullChip take scanner matching to a whole new level, with improvements
ranging from 30-70% over current scanner matching techniques.
Pattern Matcher optimizes matching over a set of customer selected patterns
using adjustments such as numerical aperture (NA), dose and illumination. Pattern
Matcher is available for TWINSCAN™ ArF immersion, ArF dry and KrF systems.
Pattern Matcher FullChip extends current scanner matching practices by leveraging
Brion’s verification engine to identify all the critical patterns across
the entire chip that need to be matched. By coupling this computational analysis
with an interface to ASML scanners, a comprehensive matching solution is made
available, giving chip makers access to a larger set of tuning adjustments.
The additional benefit of this holistic approach is that scanners can be optimized
depending on the different chip designs. For the first time, scanner matching
optimization can cover the full chip and all customer selected patterns over
the entire process window, tuning each scanner in the fab for every product.
With a fully tuned fab, customers can increase system utilization by releasing
product dedication to scanners for improved process latitude and a better return
on their lithography investments.
“LithoTuner shows the benefits of combining computational lithography
with detailed scanner knowledge” said Martin van den Brink, executive
vice president marketing and technology at ASML. “ASML is the only company
that can tie these capabilities together into a holistic lithographic approach.”
Pattern Matcher FullChip has gone through successful evaluations at leading
semiconductor manufacturers. “By using Pattern Matcher FullChip we were
able to identify various product-specific critical patterns to include in our
matching optimization,” said John Lin director of Manufacturing Technology
Center at TSMC. ”We have seen scanner performance improvement on product
imaging through ASML’s computational lithography capabilities.”
“With Pattern Matcher FullChip, ASML and Brion have broken down the barrier
between manufacturing and design,” remarked Jim Koonmen, general manager
for Brion. “Instead of a generic ‘design for manufacturing’
approach, LithoTuner allows manufacturing to individually optimize each scanner
to each design.”
LithoTuner Pattern Matcher products will be available in the first quarter
of 2009.
Posted December 3rd, 2008
