March 22, 2012 — Photomask provider Gudeng Precision Industrial Co., LTD, will use VICTREX PEEK-ESD 101 to make its first commercialized extreme ultraviolet (EUV) lithography pod. The material will help prevent contamination on advanced semiconductor wafers during the litho step.
Watch: Litho contaminants: Getting ready for EUV
The Gudeng EUV dual-pod design has an inner pod made with metal and an outer pod made with VICTREX PEEK-ESD 101 to maintain a contamination-free environment. VICTREX PEEK-ESD 101 is used for all of the photo mask contact components and the housings.
VICTREX PEEK-ESD 101 is a good EUV pod base material because of its high surface hardness, low particle generation, high purity and tight tolerance ESD. Contamination levels can be effectively reduced, and the level of wear resistance can be increased significantly compared to incumbent materials.
Contamination-free reticle handling is required for high yields at smaller semiconductor nodes. The design is based on a specification jointly defined by International SEMATECH Manufacturing Initiative (ISMI) and Advanced Semiconductor Material Lithography (ASML). The enhanced Gudeng EUV pod also meets the SEMI E152 standard.
The new photomask carriers are driven by increasing customer interest in moving to EUV lithography for 20nm and 14nm semiconductor designs, which require the 13.5nm wavelength of an EUV litho tool, said Bill Chiu, chairman of Gudeng Precision.
For more information on the VICTREX PEEK-ESD 101 material, visit the Victrex website at www.victrex.com.
Gudeng Precision Industrial manufactures and designs injection molding and high-precision parts, providing ultra-clean mask transportation/storage packaging and cleaning equipment for PSM and high-level masks. For more information, visit www.gudeng.com.