WOODBURY, N.Y.–Veeco Instruments Inc. has signed a joint agreement with International SEMATECH (ISMT) to utilize Veeco’s NEXUS Low Defect Density (LDD) Ion Beam Deposition (IBD) System for the development of certain advanced manufacturing technologies required to fabricate next generation extreme ultraviolet (EUV) photomask technology.

As part of the agreement, International SEMATECH (ISMT) has purchased Veeco’s NEXUS IBD-LDD system.

At a press conference in Albany, New York Governor George E. Pataki announced that Veeco’s system will be the first tool installed ISMT North, the new EUV lithography development center located at Albany NanoTech of the University at Albany-SUNY.

“The R&D work of ISMT has led to important advancements for the entire semiconductor industry, and we are pleased to be collaborating with them to develop technology critical for next generation photomasks,” says Edward H. Braun, Veeco’s Chairman and CEO.

Manny Lakios, president of Veeco’s NY Process Equipment Group adds that ISMT’s decision to install NEXUS IBD-LDD in the Albany facility validates IBD as a viable technology for EUV photomask deposition.

“The system has demonstrated the ability to provide low defect density deposition as well as the precise control required for such critical work,” he adds.
“Veeco’s collaboration with ISMT will help further the commercialization of EUV technology.”

Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, which has a history of developing EUV photomask technology with Veeco’s first generation LDD system, will also join the partnership. This research will enable semiconductor manufacturers to produce semiconductor devices that have geometries of 45 nanometer (or billionths of a meter) and smaller, at least two generations beyond the current 193 nm technology node. Chips made using EUV technology are projected to be as much as 100 times faster and have 1,000 times the memory capacity of today’s most powerful computer chips.