ABI
Aerial Blank Inspection (ABI): This is the process by which mask blanks for the photolithographic process of producing silicon wafers are inspected. The push towards features sizes that have to be reproduced using EUVL, requires a very low rate of defects on the mask with a correspondingly tight [...] Read more
Actinic
The word is derived from the Greek Actinism meaning radiant force. Its use is in the context of the technological application of radiation, as in the modification of material properties, such as with the photochemical reactions of the photographic process. Actinic Inspection Tools (AIT) are [...] Read more
AIMS
Aerial Image Measurement System (AIMS): This is an optical technique developed to evaluate the printability of features in a lithographic system. It is required to monitor the quality of the masks used in wafer fabrication, analysing the effect of potential defects, the effectiveness of mask [...] Read more
APMI
Aerial Pattern Mask Inspection (APMI): Once a blank mask has been inspected and accepted it has to be patterned with the required details for the particular lithographic stage it is required for. The next generation of masks for the EUV wavelengths will need to make use of reflective structures [...] Read more
DPP
(Discharge Produced Plasma) In DPP, electrical energy is used to ionize a gas (or mixture of gases), heating it to produce a high density plasma. Depending on the gas(es) used, their partial pressures, the amount and frequency of the power input, light in the EUV range (i.e., 13.5 nm) can be [...] Read more
EUVL
(Extreme Ultra Violet lithography) Also known as EUV lithography is a next-generation lithography using the 13.5 nm wavelength. EUV is a significant departure from the deep ultraviolet (DUV) lithography used today. EUV lithography takes place in a vacuum as all matter absorbs EUV radiation. [...] Read more
HVM
(High Volume Manufacturing) This acronym is used often in the semiconductor manufacturing sector to identify a production system or process that performs to set industrial requirements. The requirements of the HVM become a benchmark that determines whether a process can be economical and of [...] Read more
LPP
(Laser Produced Plasma) Relates to plasma produced by laser irradiation of a substance. Generally created by directing a laser at a target composed of a liquid, a solid, or a partially condensed gas. As the substance absorbs the high energy, energetic disassociation of the substance creates an [...] Read more
Microchips
Microchips are generally the basic components of modern miniaturized electronics. The chip is a series of electrical circuits built into a tiny wafer of silicon or another semiconductor. These circuits may be made by exposing the chip to a high temperature vapor of controlled composition. The vapor [...] Read more
Photolithography
In the photolithography process, elements to be created on the IC are reproduced in a pattern of transparent and opaque areas on the surface of a quartz plate called a photomask. The scanner passes light through the photomask, forming an image of the photomask pattern. The image is focused and [...] Read more