Veeco Instruments Inc. announced today that its new Odyssey Ion Beam Deposition (IBD) Upgrade for the NEXUS IBD-LDD System has repeatedly produced photomask blanks with zero deposition defects larger than 70nm. This represents a significant milestone toward the manufacture of semiconductor devices with advanced extreme ultraviolet (EUV) lithography.
EUV mask blank defects are, as a practical matter, impossible to repair and can render a semiconductor device useless. Because of this, mask blank defects have been a key obstacle toward high volume manufacturing. Veeco’s low-defect Odyssey IBD technology clears the way for further EUV manufacturing advancements for semiconductor devices.
“EUV lithography brings chipmakers the ability to manufacture higher performing devices at lower cost compared to manufacturing methods which rely on multiple patterning steps,” said Ron Kool, Senior Vice President of EUV Product and Service Marketing at ASML. “As ASML is making steady progress preparing the scanner and light source for industrial high volume manufacturing, the readiness of the EUV industry, including mask blanks, is critically important to our customers. Veeco’s dedication to the Odyssey upgrade program, done in coordination with customers, consortia, and other industry stakeholders, is a model for EUV infrastructure advancements.”
Veeco IBD technology features extremely low particulate deposition and precise control of optical properties for single or multi-layer processes. These technology features are required for defect-free, high volume EUV manufacturing. Currently, all of the leading EUV mask blank manufacturers use the Veeco NEXUS IBD-LDD system.
“Veeco is committed to working with our customers and industry partners to advance the EUV roadmap and increase the output of defect-free mask blanks,” said Jim Northup, Senior Vice President and General Manager of Veeco Advanced Deposition & Etch. “We have made significant investments in the Odyssey upgrade and consolidated our optical coating and ion beam resources in a single R&D site to ensure ongoing development of our IBD technology.”