Date: 27/05/2010

ASML fab machines processed 1 million semiconductor wafers in a year

The semiconductor fabrication equipment maker ASML has announced that its four TWINSCAN XT:1900Gi lithography systems have joined ASML's "One Million Wafer Club" of scanners that have processed more than one million silicon wafers within 12 months.

The four XT:1900Gi systems, the first immersion scanners to reach the million wafer milestone, operate at two Korean chipmakers in three different facilities in two countries. ASML also foresees several more immersion systems at these sites are expected to reach this same milestone in the next few months. The XT:1900Gi immersion systems join an additional 161 "dry" systems in the One Million Wafer Club.

ASML also disclosed during the record-setting 12 month run, the four XT:1900Gi systems helped manufacture more than 500 million chips.

"The ability of any lithography system to process a million wafers in one year is an achievement in product performance and reliability," said Hoon Shin, president, regional operations-Korea, China & Singapore. "To accomplish this on an immersion system requires close cooperation between ASML and our customers and dedication by both parties to maximize productivity and yield."

"Immersion lithography has gone from concept to routine manufacturing technology in just a few short years," said Frits van Hout, executive vice president and chief marketing officer at ASML. "We have always provided the highest value of ownership to our customers through a focus on real-world productivity. To reach this level of performance with our immersion systems demonstrates that commitment continues on even the most advanced systems."

TWINSCAN XT:1900Gi systems achieve productivity rates of greater than 131 wafers per hour. ASML has shipped more than 180 TWINSCAN immersion systems in total and immersion units made up 89 percent of ASML's order book at the end of Q1 2010.

ASML's newest immersion scanner, the TWINSCAN NXT platform will drive throughput to 200 wafers per hour with critical dimension imaging uniformity below 1 nanometer (nm) and overlay less than 2 nm. TWINSCAN NXT system performance enables the use of double-patterning technology for continue device shrink. As of March 31, 2010 ASML had shipped nine NXT:1950i systems and counted another 28 units in the order book with a value of more than one billion Euros.

Immersion lithography uses water between the lens and the silicon wafer to improve imaging resolution. Double Patterning Technology (DPT) describes a variety of lithography techniques that involve splitting a complex layer pattern into two simpler patterns, and exposing them separately to recreate the original layer pattern on the wafer.