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Double patterning a necessity in bridging gap to EUV, says ASML |
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Apr 19, 2007 at 06:07 PM |
 ASML Chairman, President and CEO Eric Meurice said in a conference call with financial analysts that the leading-edge semiconductor manufacturers would need to adopt doubling patterning using immersion 193nm ArF lithography tools, as EUV was not expected to ramp in production before 2010 (32nm node).
"Our progress with customers and partners on our two EUV alpha tools being installed is allowing the industry to address that infrastructure needed," noted Eric Meurice. "But certainly this will require a bit of maturity and we expect EUV to ramp into production in 2010 or 2011. Although as I repeat, it is fundamental that the work is starting now to create the infrastructure necessary. But in the meantime, we believe that double patterning technology will be the necessary technology employed as a bridge technology of true EUV."
In light of this, ASML is now focusing a large amount of its R&D resources on double patterning, which will require significant improvements in overlay control for critical layers while wafer throughput increases will be needed to control processing costs.
ASML also noted that they expect DRAM manufacturers to start using immersion tools in the 2008/9 timeframe as devices migrate to sub-50nm technology, boosting the market for immersion tools significantly.
The lithography tool manufacturer said that it had now shipped over 40 immersion tools since launch. ASML said that a further 28 immersion tools had been booked (21 percent of bookings) this year with 24 currently in backlog.
Memory manufacturers made up 69 percent of sales in the first quarter, but the company reported that orders were now slowing as expected due to aggressive first-half year spending.
ASML also noted that it had gained about 10 percent market share in Japan, due to immersion tool uptake for NAND production below the 60nm node.
"Leading-edge flash customers are even now reaching regularly over 1,000 wafers per day on these tools and are working now on ramping up to 2,000 wafers per day at the tool," stated Meurice. "We are talking production volume. In fact, we are talking about mature production volume when you talk about 1,000 wafers per day to 2,000 wafers per day per machine. In total, over 100,000 wafers at this moment are treated per month on our immersion machines."
IM Flash, an ASML customer for immersion tools, noted in its most recent conference call that they did not have defect issues with the latest node being ramped, suggesting that immersion tool defect levels are comparable to dry tool defect levels.
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Lithography 
