The Starlith® 1900i immersion lithography optical
system from Carl Zeiss SMT is ready for serial
production. More than 10 systems have already been qualified for
integration into ASML’s TWINSCAN™ XT:1900i wafer
scanners, the first of which has already been shipped to an end user.
The combination of outstanding optical specifications - including
numerical aperture, resolution, polarization control, and transmission
- with the unrivalled scanner technology of ASML results in a market
leading tool capable of meeting even the most demanding customer
applications.
“The complete set of production equipment is
installed, and the whole supply chain is organized to support the
expected steep production ramp up,” said Dr. Andreas Dorsel,
Member of the Board at Carl Zeiss SMT and Senior Vice President and
General Manager of SMT´s Lithography Optics Division.
“The Starlith® 1900i features the highest NA
available in the market for immersion lithography, therefore offering
the highest resolution at full image field. Since a numerical aperture
of 1.35 is seen as the practical limit for water based immersion
lithography, we expect a rather long life cycle for this
product.”
The Starlith® 1900i lens is based on the proprietary
“Catadioptric Inline Multi Mirror Design”, enabling
a compact single barrel design. Since an even number of mirrors is
used, there is no image flip, resulting in full mask compatibility with
conventional refractive systems. The system enables volume chip
production down to the 40 nm resolution, which has already been
successfully demonstrated.