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Gigaphoton Develops Spectral Width Control Technology "hMPL"
[September 11, 2017]

Gigaphoton Develops Spectral Width Control Technology "hMPL"


Gigaphoton Inc. (Head Office: Oyama, Tochigi; President & CEO: Katsumi Uranaka), a leading manufacturer of light sources used in semiconductor lithography, introduced their latest optical design and manufacturing technology (= Cutting Edge Solution), and announced the development of Spectral Width Control Technology, "hMPL". hMPL has already received highly favorable evaluations from chip manufacturers in pilot experiments, and will go on to respond to future advanced semiconductor manufacturing applications.

Spectral width is one of the most important parameters in the semiconductor lithography process. Gigaphoton's hMPL decreased the optical thermal load for the LNM (Line-Narrowing Module) and reduced the spectral width target value from the existing 300 fm (femtometers) to 200 fm. In addition, by introducing a new control algorithm, widening to an upper limit of up to 450 fm became possible.
The following two points illustrate the advantages of hMPL. Firstly,through narrowing the existing spectral width, contrast improves and the process window widens. Secondly, as the spectral width can be varied, it is possible to adjust contrast differences between exposure devices. For semiconductor manufacturing for the IoT, this is an effective method when old and new exposure equipment is used in combination. With these advantages, hMPL improves the margin for the exposure process, contributing to process optimization and to improvements in chip productivity.



hMPL will be installed as standard on the GT65A* scheduled for shipment at the end of 2017.

Katsumi Uranaka, President & CEO of Gigaphoton commented, "Spectral Width Control Technology, (hMPL) was developed to meet the demand for semiconductors, which is expected to increase still further with the growth of an IoT-based society. We will continue to contribute to the semiconductor industry, supporting our customers with state-of-the-art technology. "


*A news release concerning the GT65A is available at http://www.gigaphoton.com/en/news/4938

About Gigaphoton
Since it was founded in 2000, Gigaphoton has delivered valuable solutions to semiconductor manufacturers throughout the world as a light source supplier. In every stage from R&D to manufacture, sales, and maintenance services, Gigaphoton is committed to providing world-class support delivered from the perspective of everyday users. For more information please visit Welcome to Gigaphoton.


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