TWINSCAN NXE:3600D

EUV lithography systems use extreme ultraviolet light with a wavelength of 13.5 nm to print microchips. The NXE:3600D uses a CO2 laser that fires two separate laser pulses at a fast-moving drop of tin to generate EUV light, doing so up to 50,000 times per second.^[1]

EUV systems use several multilayer mirrors instead of lenses to guide the EUV light to the wafer, shrinking the reticle pattern by a factor of four. The entire light path and everything the light interacts with, from source to wafer, must be in a high vacuum because EUV light is absorbed by everything, including air.^[1]

The NXE:3600D is a dual-stage system, meaning it has two wafer stages. One stage positions the wafer to within a quarter of a nanometer for each exposure, checking and adjusting 20,000 times per second. Precision robot arms transfer wafers in and out of the system's vacuum environment through an air lock, operating within a positioning accuracy of 25 µm and a uniform surface temperature within 2 mK.^[1]

The TWINSCAN NXE:3600D is used to print the most intricate layers on a chip, with the rest of the layers printed using various DUV systems. Both types of technology are required in parallel for many years to come.^[1]

Chipmakers use NXE systems to print the highly complex foundation layers of their 7 nm, 5 nm and 3 nm nodes. The NXE:3600D specifically supports EUV volume production at the 5 and 3 nm Logic nodes and leading-edge DRAM nodes.^[1]

Chips made with EUV lithography are enabling smart technology (cars, phones, and homes), augmented reality, artificial intelligence, and other applications. EUV lithography makes scaling more affordable for chipmakers and allows the semiconductor industry to continue its pursuit of Moore's Law.^[1]