Based on talks and presentations from the SPIE Advanced Lithography Conference, the future for IC manufacturing is still very much unclear, writes Griff Resor. How close is optical litho to finally reaching its limits? Has the time has come to switch to a replacement technology like EUV, and what still needs to be accomplished?
Toppan Photomask's Franklin Kalk handicaps the litho field, mapping their abilities and potential to professional baseball teams as the new season approaches. (And yes, it comes down to the Red Sox and Yankees.)
Barclays Capital's CJ Muse came away from SPIE with the message that litho demand is strong, with a "heightened focus on EUV" due to increased costs associated with double patterning -- and why rumors about a delay in EUV adoption may not be accurate after all.
Several discussions and presentations at last week's SPIE Advanced Lithography Conference deserve special note -- from work with e-beam EUV mask inspection, to nanoimprint achievements (11nm!), an EUV tool platform roadmap, mask productivity and cost issues at 22nm, and more on SMO and tunable DOEs.
Sanjay Kapasi from KLA-Tencor tells SST how the latest-generation PROLITH virtual lithography tool, PROLITH X3.1, takes aim at the skyrocketing R&D expenses being incurred at the 1X and 2Xnm nodes, by leveraging simulations rather than printed test wafers.
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