GCA

6300 DSW

Q: What does DSW stand for?

DSW stands for direct step on wafer, describing the stepper's method of exposing one field at a time and then stepping the wafer to the next exposure position.

Q: How does a wafer stepper differ from a full-wafer aligner?

A wafer stepper exposes and aligns one field at a time through a lens, then steps the wafer to the next position. A full-wafer aligner exposes the entire wafer in a single exposure.

Q: What factors influence overlay and image quality on a stepper?

Overlay quality depends on wafer-stage accuracy, alignment-mark quality, and thermal stability. Image quality depends on focus, illumination uniformity, and projection-lens performance.

Q: What routine maintenance is typical for this class of equipment?

Routine maintenance includes cleaning optical surfaces, monitoring exposure-source performance, verifying stage calibration, and checking the alignment system.

Lithography 150mm5X g-line wafer stepperg-lineGCA 6300 DSW family

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The GCA 6300 DSW is a step-and-repeat photolithography wafer stepper. The GCA 6300 DSW uses a 5:1 reduction lens and can be configured with either a g-line (436 nm) or i-line (365 nm) exposure wavelength.^[1]^[2]

6300 DSW — cnfusers.cornell.edu — Fig. 016300 DSWcnfusers.cornell.edu^[1]

Wafer size

150mm

Node / era

5X g-line wafer stepper

Performance

<0.25 µm^[1]

Optics

g-line (436 nm)^[1]

What it is

General reference — not yet source-verified

The GCA 6300 DSW is a wafer stepper designed for projection photolithography in semiconductor fabrication. Like all wafer steppers, it uses a reduction lens to project the image of a mask (reticle) onto a resist-coated substrate, then steps the substrate to expose multiple fields in a step-and-repeat pattern. The DSW designation stands for Direct Step on Wafer, indicating that the machine exposes each die or field individually by moving the wafer under a stationary lens.

What can it run?

Process applications and technology nodes documented for this tool.

photolithography
step and repeat exposure
high-resolution lithography
critical alignment

What do the numbers mean?

Wafer handling10

Tool type: 5X g-line wafer stepper^[1]
Wafer accommodation: 3" up to 150 mm; smaller pieces^[1]
Tool type: i-line wafer stepper^[2]
Minimum substrate size: ~10 x 10 mm^[2]
Wafer size: 3" to 150 mm (g-line)^[1]
Wafer size: up to 6" diameter (i-line)^[2]
Minimum substrate size: ~10 x 10 mm (i-line)^[2]
Intensity at wafer: ~180 mW/cm² (i-line)^[2]
Tool type: G-line wafer stepper^[1]
Wafer size: 3" up to 150mm^[1]

Optics & imaging22

Exposure wavelength: g-line (436 nm)^[1]
Numerical aperture: 0.30 NA^[1]
Mask size: 5" x 0.090"-thick masks^[1]
Step and repeat exposure system: laser-controlled stage motion^[1]
Lens: Zeiss lens with 0.30 numerical aperture^[1]
Exposure wavelength: i-line (365 nm)^[2]
Lens: Olympus 2142; NA = 0.42^[2]
Mask plates: 5x5x0.090 inches^[2]
Exposure wavelength: 436 nm (g-line)^[1]
Exposure wavelength: 365 nm (i-line)^[2]
Lens manufacturer: Zeiss (g-line) / Olympus (i-line)^[2]
Lens numerical aperture: 0.30 (g-line)^[1]
Lens numerical aperture: 0.42 (i-line, Olympus 2142)^[2]
Resolution: <0.9 µm (g-line)^[1]
Resolution: 500 nm over portion of field; 700 nm over entire field (i-line)^[2]
Mask size: 5" x 0.090" thick^[1]
Mask size: 5x5x0.090 inches^[2]
Stage system: laser-controlled stage motion (g-line)^[1]
Stage system: stepper motors and laser interferometers (i-line)^[2]
Exposure type: step and repeat^[1]
Lens: Olympus 2142^[2]
Numerical aperture: 0.42^[2]

Performance3

Registered alignment: <0.25 µm^[1]
Alignment accuracy: typically <0.25 µm (g-line)^[1]
Registered alignment: typically <0.25µm^[1]

Dimensions & facilities1

Depth of field: 1.2 µm for 0.7 µm process (i-line)^[2]

Configuration & options13

Reduction ratio: 5:1^[1]
Variable field size: up to 15 mm square^[1]
Minimum feature size: <0.9 µm^[1]
Reduction ratio: 5x^[2]
Maximum die size: ~15 mm x 15 mm^[2]
Field size: up to 15 mm square (g-line)^[1]
Maximum die size: ~15 mm x 15 mm (i-line)^[2]
Registration tolerance (global): max 0.30 µm (i-line)^[2]
Registration tolerance (local, DFAS): max 0.15 µm (i-line)^[2]
Light source: 350 W Hg arc lamp (i-line)^[2]
Autofocus: yes (i-line)^[2]
Reduction: 5:1^[1]
Reduction: 5x^[2]

Vintage & configurations

Documented models & variants

Designation	Generation	Vintage	Changes	Source
GCA 6300 DSW 5X g-line Wafer Stepper	g-line	—	Described as a 5X g-line wafer stepper.	cnfusers.cornell.edu^[1]
GCA 6300 I-Line Wafer Stepper	i-line	—	Described as an i-line wafer stepper with manual wafer loading and up to 6-inch wafers.	wiki.nanofab.ucsb.edu^[2]

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Where are the manuals?

Publicly hosted documents referencing this tool, linked at their original location. Hosted by the linked institutions — availability may change.

GCA 5X Operation ManualManualcornell.edu
GCA 5X Resist InformationDocumentcornell.edu

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Not publicly documented

Field notes

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Frequently asked questions

What does DSW stand for?General reference — not yet source-verified

DSW stands for direct step on wafer, describing the stepper's method of exposing one field at a time and then stepping the wafer to the next exposure position.

How does a wafer stepper differ from a full-wafer aligner?General reference — not yet source-verified

A wafer stepper exposes and aligns one field at a time through a lens, then steps the wafer to the next position. A full-wafer aligner exposes the entire wafer in a single exposure.

What factors influence overlay and image quality on a stepper?General reference — not yet source-verified

Overlay quality depends on wafer-stage accuracy, alignment-mark quality, and thermal stability. Image quality depends on focus, illumination uniformity, and projection-lens performance.

What routine maintenance is typical for this class of equipment?General reference — not yet source-verified

Routine maintenance includes cleaning optical surfaces, monitoring exposure-source performance, verifying stage calibration, and checking the alignment system.

Not publicly documented

The following facts about the 6300 DSW are absent from this record as of this revision. First-hand knowledge or a citation closes a gap; every submission is reviewed before publication.

No publicly documented production dates or lifecycle milestones (introduction, end of production, EOL) for the 6300 DSW are on record.
Answerable by: OEM historical records or a trade-press announcement
The control-system platform and OS era of the 6300 DSW are not on record.
Answerable by: an engineer who operated it or OEM installation records
No publicly documented failure modes or field errata for the 6300 DSW are on record.
Answerable by: a field service engineer, process engineer, or maintenance technician
No publicly documented compatible parts, consumables, or accessories for the 6300 DSW are on record.
Answerable by: an OEM parts catalog or a service engineer
The operating principle of the 6300 DSW is not documented in this record.
Answerable by: an equipment physicist or OEM application engineer

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Sources & citations

Sources (2)Every fact above is drawn from these public sources

[1]cnfusers.cornell.edu — cnfusers.cornell.educnfusers.cornell.edu
[2]wiki.nanofab.ucsb.edu — wiki.nanofab.ucsb.eduwiki.nanofab.ucsb.edu

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Last updated Oct 9, 2026.

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