PAS 5500 300 C

The ASML PAS 5500 / 300 C is a deep-ultraviolet (DUV) wafer stepper used in semiconductor photolithography. The machine is a step-and-repeat projection system that exposes a reticle pattern onto a wafer one field at a time. The PAS 5500/300C is capable of processing 88 200-mm wafers per hour. The system belongs to ASML's PAS 5500 family of lithography tools.^[1][2]

The PAS 5500/300C is a DUV stepper that operates at a wavelength of 248 nm. The system uses a Cymer ELS 5610 excimer laser as its illumination source. The stepper incorporates an AERIAL Illuminator, which allows extendibility beyond 0.25 µm without compromising the excellent imaging performance and high productivity.^[1][2]

The PAS 5500/300C is a projection printer that uses a DUV (248 nm) lens column (0.63 N.A.) to provide a 4:1 reduction with an exposure field size up to 22 mm square. Minimum feature size is <0.20µm. The number and placement of the dies is programmable. Wafer sizes of 3" up to 200 mm can be accommodated, and pieces with significant effort. Registered alignment is typically <0.045µm, even when using backside alignment. 6" x 0.250"-thick quartz masks are used.^[3]

The wafer stage is an air-bearing exposure stage with a SiSiC wafer table (200 mm) that can be set up to run 125–200 mm wafers. The reticle alignment is TTL dual-beam alignment. The wafer alignment system uses ATHENA+TIS 3X0 off-axis alignment that supports PM, XPA, SPM and NSSM marks. The system has an image sensor (IQC) for fast automated verification of focus and overlay. The leveling and autofocus system uses two measurement systems: a coarse red measurement system (820 nm) with a capture range of +/- 400 µm, and a fine white measurement system (725–1050 nm) with a capture range of +/- 23 µm. Three measurement methods are available: global leveling (3 points on a wafer, red), coarse leveling (1 point levels the die before exposure, red), and fine leveling (4 or fewer points in the exposure slit, white).^[1]

The PAS 5500/300C is capable of processing 88 200 mm wafers per hour. The system supports 8-inch (200 mm) wafers as its primary wafer size, but can also handle 125 mm and 150 mm wafers. The stepper is designed for high-volume production of semiconductor devices at the 0.25 µm technology node and beyond.^[1][2]

The stepper can be used to pattern a variety of substrates, including silicon, gallium arsenide (GaAs), and indium phosphide (InP). The system supports the use of standard SEMI-spec wafers with carrier wafers approved by photolithography staff. The back of the substrate must be clean (no resist), and the mask must be clean (no resist or fingerprints).^[3]