PhotonAix
members developed a new EUV (extreme ultraviolet)
lithography process. This technique is suitable for
manufacturing exceptionally small semiconductor structures,
which are in demand for the chips used in ever more
powerful PCs.
The
Fraunhofer Institute for Laser Technology ILT,
the Chair for Laser Technology at RWTH Aachen,
AIXUV GmbH – all PhotonAix members – and
Philips Extrem UV GmbH were honored with the science
prize of the Donors' Association for the Promotion
of Sciences and Humanities in Germany, which carries
a 50,000-euro endowment. The team of collaborating
partners from science and industry won the award
for their especially productive, close cooperation
on the development of a new EUV (extreme ultraviolet)
lithography process.
Ever
since the earliest days of semiconductor manufacturing,
chips have been made using a light exposure process.
To fit more transistors onto a chip, the already
tiny structures on the silicon wafers must be made
successively smaller. Conventional optical lithography
processes can go no farther than about 50 nanometers.
The EUV lithography method achieves an extraordinary
technological leap forward by employing radiation
with a wavelength of only 13.5 nanometers. Because
the extreme ultraviolet light used is absorbed by
all materials – even air – the entire lithography
process must take place in a vacuum. This technology
now features on the roadmap of all semiconductor
manufacturers, including INTEL, and involves the
development of completely new light sources, optical
components and photoresists.
For
their EUV light source, the Aachen researchers
working with the team assembled by Dr. Willi Neff
employ an extremely hot plasma generated using
hollow cathode gas discharge. An international
comparative study revealed that the "Aachen lamp" achieved
the best performance. The groundwork for the patented
concept was carried out between 1997 and 2000 at
the Fraunhofer ILT and the RWTH Chair for Laser Technology.
In 2000, Dr. Rainer Lebert founded a spin-off company,
AIXUV, which manufactures and markets compact EUV
lab sources for use in research and EUV systems for
metrology and quality control.
Contact:
Christian Hinke
(Managing Director)
PhotonAix e.V.
Kompetenznetz Optische Technologien
Steinbachstr. 15
D-52074 Aachen
Phone: 0241 / 8906 352
Fax: 0241 /8906 121
eMail: hinke@photonaix.de
www.photonaix.de
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