New Technology For Chip-Making Said To Save Time, Money

To make the advanced logic devices of the future, Ultratech Stepper Inc. offers manufacturing technology that combines projection lithography with gas immersion laser doping. The result is increased performance, control, and extendibility over conventional systems, the company says. In addition, by eliminating several traditional semiconductor process steps, the new approach is said to greatly reduce the time and cost required to develop advanced integrated circuits. Ultratech's approach is to use laser light in tandem with gas immersion and annealing to drive specific reactions on the surface of the wafer. The process "will be able to address multiple generations of [integrated circuits], extending to 0.07 micron design rules and 300 mm wafer sizes without significant equipment redesigns or process modifications," says Arthur Zafiropoulo, president and CEO. Ultratech is commercializing the technology through a new subsidiary-Verdant Technologies, located at the company's San Jose corporate campus.