LITHOSCALE®: Highly Versatile Maskless Exposure Lithography Platform

Equipped with EV Group’s MLE™ maskless exposure technology, the LITHOSCALE system addresses legacy bottlenecks by integrating robust digital processing that allows live data transfer and instant exposure, throughput scalability and high structuring resolution.

The mask-free approach of the LITHOSCALE system prevents mask-related consumables, whereas the exposure system with its adjustable solid-state laser source has been developed to provide long lifetime stability and high redundancy with special automatic calibration capabilities that reduce maintenance.

Robust live digital processing allows instant exposure from the design file to the substrate, thus preventing hours of conversion time required for every layout of a digital mask.

The LITHOSCALE system enables high-resolution (<2 µm L/S), dynamically die-level addressable exposure of the whole surface of the substrate, which allows dexterous consumable-free processing and thus low cost of ownership (CoO).

The LITHOSCALE system also incorporates full-wafer, top-and-backside alignment using specialized objectives with IR and visible capability and proprietary chuck designs that accommodate wafer sizes of up to 300 mm.

The LITHOSCALE system even includes dynamic alignment modes with an automatic focus to acclimatize to the substrate material as well as surface changes. The potential to finely regulate focus-level position maintains the steepness of sidewalls and also ensures the required 3D contour of the resist while avoiding edge topping and footing.

Automatic adaptive focus and large working distance assure patterning uniformity across the exposure surface. The system also provides individualized die processing ability, whereas dynamic alignment and rapid full-field positioning allow excellent scalability for a wide range of substrate shapes and sizes.

Features

• Resolution capability is less than 2 µm L/S
• Substrate/wafer size up to 300 mm/12″
• Fitted with MLE technology that features high-end diffraction-limited optics
• Routinely tracked and auto-calibrated solid-state light source ensure high redundancy and long-life-time stability
• Exposure spectrum of 375-nm and/or 405-nm wavelength; can be defined by users as broadband, single, or any type of wavelength mixture
• Sophisticated alignment modes support bottom-side and top-side IR and VIS alignment capability
• Field-proven, high-precision alignment stage integrates advanced mechatronics and calibration sensors for the complete stability of the system
• Adaptive autofocus control (AF) is less than 100 µm
• Depth of focus control (DoF) is less than 24 µm
• Advanced software features include:
  • Sophisticated distortion compensation
  • Dynamic die-level annotation
  • Layout transformation function
  • Mask-file transfer and recipe execution through host/flexible for every wafer
  • Alternative format files support: OASIS, ODB++, and Gerber
• Consumables-free technology
• Scalable solution accommodates research and development and high-volume manufacturing (HVM) requirements in a single system without increasing the footprint
• Automated contactless wedge compensation sequence

Technical Data

​Source: EV Group