In accordance with their slot assignments, two member companies of the SEMATECH EMI Partnership comprising TSMC, Samsung Electronics, Intel and GLOBALFOUNDRIES have placed orders to buy AIMS EUV tool, an actinic aerial image metrology solution from Carl Zeiss Semiconductor Metrology Systems (SMS) Division.
Carl Zeiss SMS has teamed up with Lithography Optics, Carl Zeiss SMT’s scanner optics department, and external partners in the development of the AIMS EUV tool. Carl Zeiss SMS’ Managing Director, Dr. Oliver Kienzle stated that these orders are a major landmark in the advancement of the AIMS EUV tool and emphasize the significance of EUV technology in the industry. The company anticipates orders from the remaining member companies according to their slot assignments signed during the launch of the EMI consortium.
The AIMS EUV tool is a key platform to manufacture defect-free EUVL masks for the 22 nm half-pitch technology node needs, with scalability to the 16 nm half-pitch technology node. The platform’s first production-worthy model is expected to be delivered in the Q3 of 2014.
In 2010, SEMATECH had set up EMI to develop key metrology tools through funding in order to advance EUV in the mask production field. EMI is managed by SEMATECH’s Lithography Program, which is based at the University at Albany’s College of Nanoscale Science and Engineering.
SEMATECH initiated EMI’s first key project by signing a partnership deal with Carl Zeiss to develop and manufacture the first-of-its-kind actinic aerial image metrology EUV system for mass production of EUVL.