by Hughes Metras, U.S. development, Leti
June 28, 2011 – Multi e-beam lithography, a maskless technology, is a recognized alternative to EUV on the International Technology Roadmap for Semiconductors for the 22nm node and below. But the technology must first overcome throughput, data handling and other challenges, Leti lithography program manager Serge Tedesco told Leti’s 13th Annual Review in Grenoble, France.
Leti, MAPPER Technology, and others partners launched the Imagine program in 2009 to assess the capabilities of MAPPER’s multi e-beam technology against the needs of end users, including chipmakers. The project utilizes Leti’s 300mm pilot line and wafer-processing infrastructure to demonstrate the technology in a fab-like environment.
The Imagine program’s members include software companies, tool manufacturers, materials suppliers and chipmakers: Mentor Graphics, Aselta, Synopsis, SOKUDO, Nissan Chemical, Tokyo Electron, JSR, Dow EM, and MAPPER.
Tedesco said MAPPER will have a system with 13,000 parallel e-beams capable of producing 10 wafers/hour in 2013-14. The project will establish multi-beam technology infrastructure and demonstrate tool capability in terms of resolution, throughput, overlay, and stitching.
By eliminating the need for photomasks, multi e-beam lithography would cut millions of dollars from the cost of manufacturing chips, and would open the doors for more designs and innovation, Tedesco said.