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All refractive hyper NA optics for production immersion lithography |
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Sep 27, 2005 at 09:33 PM |
 Product Briefing Outline: Nikon Corporation has
developed what it claims to be the world's first lithography system
with a hyper NA lens. The NSR-S609B, an ArF immersion scanner with a NA
projection lens of 1.07, is targeted at mass production of 55nm and
development of 45nm devices. The system includes several new
innovations, including the proprietary Nikon Local Fill Technology and
a new Tandem Stage design, which enable the system to achieve extremely
high throughput of 130 wafers or more per hour.
Problem: Achieving the required depth of focus and process
window margins for volume production, require immersion tools with NA
of a least 1.0 for the production
of critical layers at the 55nm node. NA of less than 1.0 are considered infective for this task.
Solution: To increase throughput, improve accuracy, and enhance the
long term stability of the NSR-S609B, Nikon developed a new Tandem
Stage design that
utilizes two stages with different functions to optimize the
performance of the tool for immersion lithography. The Exposure Stage
is designed to process at very high
rates, while the Calibration Stage is used to calibrate the tool
between each wafer exchange. The result is a system with high
throughput and improved accuracy. Alignment accuracy has been reduced
to 7nm or less with the Tandem Stage. Additionally, any risk of
fluctuations or variations over time in the immersion process is
eliminated by frequent calibration checks. Nikon Local Fill Technology
allows wafers to be processed at high scan speeds of 500mm/sec or
faster with no water spots or backside wafer contamination. A major
concern of customers when discussing immersion lithography is micro
bubbles. In repeated demonstrations, the Nikon
Local Fill Technology has been proven to be free from micro bubbles and
other immersion specific defects. By equipping the system with POLANO,
Nikon's advanced
polarized illumination system, resolution of 50nm for production
applications can be achieved. POLANO improves image contrast by 20
percent, resulting in superior resolution, increased depth of focus,
and improved critical dimension (CD) uniformity.
Applications: Mass production of 55nm and development of 45nm devices.
Platform: New platform to improve vibration control, accommodate tandem stage and immersion water fluid system.
Availability: Shipment 4Q 2005 onwards.
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Product Briefings 
