News Article
Asahi readies immersion mask substrates
Japan's Asahi Glass company has developed of QC-i, a synthetic quartz photomask substrate for liquid immersion ArF lithography. The company says that QC-i can be mass-produced due to substantially reduced production costs, making it the world's first commercial substrate for ArF immersion photolithography.
Japan's Asahi Glass company has developed of QC-i, a synthetic quartz photomask substrate for liquid immersion ArF lithography. The company says that QC-i can be mass-produced due to substantially reduced production costs, making it the world's first commercial substrate for ArF immersion photolithography.
The company has reduced the birefringence of the material to 1nm, compared with the 4-5nm typical for synthetic quartz photomask substrates used in dry ArF lithography. Low birefringence minimises irregularities in light polarisation.
Asahi's capacity for 6x6x0.25inch substrates is estimated at 50,000 units. A technique has been developed to reduce defects at scales of 100nm or less.
Semiconductor stepper manufacturers are expected to launch mass-produced ArF liquid immersion steppers in 2005 and 2006. Asahi Glass estimates sales of QC-i at JPY1bn in FY2008.
