Provides High Throughput for Leading-edge 110 nm Devices Manufacturing Start of Sales for Nikon Step-and-Repeat Scanning System NSR-S208D

Sales Summary

Product name	Nikon Step-and-Repeat Scanning System NSR-S208D
Price (excluding tax)	About 1.5 to 1.7 billion yen (varies by spec. and configuration)
Sales launch term	Spring of 2005

Development Background

Progress continues on increasing the density of VLSI chips, the foundation of the IT revolution, and today we are moving to the production of 90 nm rule devices. Nikon released the world's first lens-based scanning system, the NSR-S201A, in April 1995. Since then, Nikon's lens-based scanning systems have received high marks for performance and reliability from semiconductor manufacturers throughout the world.
The newest Nikon model, the NSR-S208D, incorporates an ultra-high N.A. lens (N.A. 0.82) with extremely low aberration levels, designed for use with a KrF excimer laser. These features enable the mass production of 110 nm or smaller devices.
With its newly developed body, the new system provides dramatically improved alignment accuracy and throughput performance. Alignment accuracy is 10 nm or better, and throughput of 140 or more per hour for 300 mm wafers is achieved.

Main Specifications

Resolution	110 nm or better
N.A. (Numerical Aperture)	0.82
Light source	KrF excimer laser (wavelength : 248 nm)
Projection magnification	1:4
Exposure area	26 x 33 mm
Alignment accuracy	10 nm or better (M + 3 sigma)
Throughput	140 wafers or more per hour for 300-mm wafers (Step Pitch26mm x 33mm, 76Shots, 8 point-EGA, Exposure dose 30mJ/cm2)

Main Characteristics

• High Throughput
  Adoption of a newly developed body with high speed reticle and wafer stages enables the S208D to attain a high throughput of 140 or more wafers per hour for 300 mm wafers (an improvement of about 25% compared to previous models).
  
  
• Improved Alignment Accuracy
  The newly developed body is stiffer and the alignment sensors are improved to achieve an alignment accuracy of 10 nm or better (an improvement of about 33% compared to previous models).
  
  
• Ultra-High N.A. (0.82) Projection Lens
  The S208D utilizes an ultra-high N.A. (0.82), high-performance projection lens designed for use with a KrF excimer laser.
  This enables the mass production of next-generation devices with 110 nm design rules.