April 21, 2008, San Diego, CA--Cymer has upgraded its XLR platform, marking the first demonstration of a 90-W system at a leading lithography tool supplier. Installed in Nikon's Kumagaya, Japan, facility, the XLR is the first 90-W argon fluoride (ArF) laser light source to market, and is designed to enable volume immersion and double patterning photolithography at the 32nm node and beyond.
According to Cymer, the XLR platform's innovative recirculating ring technology has the advantage of improving dose stability that enables higher system throughput, longer pulse duration that extends optics lifetime, and longer life modules that reduce cost of consumables. A key feature of the XLR platform, which has been shipping since 2007, is the demonstrated extendibility to 90W for double patterning applications.
Cymer first introduced the XLR system in July 2006. With more than 500 systems shipped to date, the XL product family has been adopted by the industry as the standard light source for next-generation ArF lithography.
"This milestone install signifies the growing adoption of Cymer's XLR platform by leading lithography tool suppliers," said Ed Brown, president and chief operating officer at Cymer. "The industry's first 90W system illustrates our ongoing mission to provide customers with the highest performance and lower operating costs meeting chipmakers' high-volume manufacturing needs."