News: Suppliers
2 December 2020
Canon launching FPA-3030i5a litho system for 50-200mm substrates
Canon USA Inc says that in March its parent company Canon Inc will begin sales of the FPA-3030i5a, the newest entry in its lineup of i-line (365nm-wavelength) lithography systems supporting manufacturing of devices including compound semiconductors. The new system is also designed to help to reduce the cost of ownership (CoO).
The FPA-3030i5a stepper is designed to process small substrates between 50mm (2-inches) and 200mm (8-inches) in diameter. It supports not only silicon wafers but also common compound semiconductor materials such as silicon carbide (SiC) and gallium nitride (GaN), which helps to enable the manufacturing of various devices that are expected to see increased demand in the future, such as high-power devices for automobile electrification and high-bandwidth video processing and communication devices for 5G communications.
The FPA-3030i5a stepper hardware and software have been upgraded from its predecessor, the FPA-3030i5+ stepper (released in June 2012), to help reduce CoO. The FPA-3030i5a inherits the imaging performance of the FPA-3030i5, achieving exposure resolution of 0.35μm line-width patterns while providing robust alignment options and increased productivity. The new system employs a high-speed wafer feeding system that can be configured to handle a variety of wafer materials and sizes including compound semiconductors with diameter of 50-200mm.
The FPA-3030i5a uses a new off-axis alignment scope to illuminate and measure wafer alignment marks. By not observing the marks through the projection lens, the alignment system can employ a wide range of illumination wavelengths to help optimize alignment conditions. FPA-3030i5a steppers equipped with the optional Through-Silicon Alignment (TSA) system can also utilize infrared light to view through substrates to enable backside alignment processes. The new alignment system also shortens alignment mark measurement time.
The reduced alignment time, high-speed feeder system and upgraded software allow the FPA-3030i5a to achieve 123 wafers per hour (wph) output for 200mm (8-inch) wafers, which is about a 17% productivity improvement compared to its predecessor. The new stepper also features a new chamber temperature control system that maintains the lithography system in a clean environment and constant temperature level. The new design helps to reduce power consumption by about 20% compared with the predecessor model and, through such improvements, the system helps to reduce CoO.
Through the introduction of the FPA-3030i5a and the implementation of advanced functions, system owners are able to manufacture specialty power and communication devices using a wide range of wafer materials including silicon and compound semiconductors such as SiC and GaN ranging in size from 50mm to 200mm, summarizes Canon.
