SEMATECH and equipment suppliers partner to reduce development costs at the 180 nm generation

This paper discusses one example of a general partnership between SEMATECH and equipment suppliers. It illustrates the benefits Fairchild Technologies, Silicon Valley Group Lithography (SVGL) and SEMATECH derived by working together to bring online and evaluate a linked deep ultraviolet (DUV) lithography system. The overall costs were shared, with the equipment suppliers providing the equipment and SEMATECH providing infrastructure, support equipment, metrology tools and running costs. The engineering teams worked together to provide rapid diagnosis and feedback on problems and improvement ideas. Three major technical accomplishments are described. A German-built Fairchild PR800 DUV track was adapted to US safety standards by the addition of chamber door interlocks, a fire detection system and a chemical leak detector. SEMATECH assisted in the design and set up of the interface between the PR800 and the SVLG Micrascan III scanner by creating a specially designed simulator. The program provided both suppliers with a large amount of publishable sub-0.25 micron data they might not been able to obtain otherwise.