The lithography machine is the most core production equipment in the wafer production line, and its development history has also undergone generations of changes.

If large-scale commercial applications are used as the standard line, in general, the 1960s were the era of contact lithography machines and proximity lithography machines. By the 1970s, the mainstream lithography equipment was updated to projection lithography machines, in the 1980s, to stepper lithography machines, and in the 1990s, to stepper scanning lithography machines, and in the early new century, immersion lithography machines became popular.

After the 21st century, thanks to the creativity of adding water above the photoresist by Chinese scientist Dr. Lin Benjian, the Asml, which suddenly obtained a big trick, used an invasive lithography machine to drive Japanese lithography machine manufacturers from the cloud into dust. In less than a few years, it monopolized 70% of the global lithography machine market.

Because light is essentially a wave, the shorter the wavelength in the microscopic physical world, the higher the accuracy of light. In other words, the shorter the wavelength of light, the thinner the lines engraved on the wafer.

The early Moore's Law predicted that the density of integrated circuits would double every year, and it was not until 1975 that Moore's Law was changed to every eighteen months that people know in the future.

According to Rayleigh's formula: d=k1*(λ/na), where d represents the exposure size or the minimum size called lithography, such as 5.0 microns, 3.0 microns, etc., and even directly refers to the technical standards of wafer production lines. k1 represents a comprehensive factor that interferes with reducing lithography size, such as photoresist, workshop environment power supply voltage, etc.

The academic description of the numerical aperture of a lens is relatively complicated. Simply put, the larger the value of na, the more light the higher the resolution.

After nine years of obligation, this thing is known to me as the wavelength of light. The lower the wavelength in the formula, the higher the accuracy of the lithography machine.

Therefore, the prerequisite for realizing Moore's law is to reduce the value of k1 and λ and make the value of na.

Compared to patiently working with grinding lenses, which are slow to take effect, shortening the wavelength of light has become the most direct and preferred method to improve the accuracy of the lithography machine.

Early photolithography machines were very popular, basically transformed from movie cameras, and the exposure light source is also quite strange, from the infrared spectral end to the near-ultraviolet segment.

However, with the implementation of Moore's Law, the light source quickly moved from the infrared end to the ultraviolet end, and the lens quickly surpassed the accuracy required by the movie lens, making it increasingly difficult to process professionally.

In the 1980s, the mainstream light sources of lithography machines began to use high-pressure mercury lamps, with a wavelength of 365nm in the industry called this thing~i-line.

In the early 1990s, after the accuracy of the lithography machine reached below 1.0 microns, the 356nm wavelength provided by the high-pressure mercury lamp became very large. Therefore, the krf laser became the mainstream light source of the lithography machine, and the 248nm wavelength light source generated was enough to push the line width of the wafer production line to the nano-age.

In the mid-1990s, with the further reduction of the line width of wafer production lines, the 193nm wavelength duv laser began to emerge, and the duv laser is also a famous AF excimer laser. This laser is used in many cross-industry engineering applications, including the treatment of myopia surgery. Related laser generators and optical lenses and other technologies are relatively mature.

In the electronics industry, I am glad that the 193nm light source has a wide application range, and the pleasure of reducing R&D costs has not been enjoyed for a few days at all. The shortening journey of lithography light source is directly stuck at 193nm and cannot make progress.

Since the mid-1990s and before Liang Yuan smuggled, the light source of the lithography machine has been maintained at 193nm for nearly twenty years. It can be said that until the moment someone smuggled the plane, the main chips of all mainstream mobile phones, computers, tablets, supercomputers, graphics cards, and routers in the world were still lithographed by the 193nm light source. The 193nm light source has become the first stubborn and unchanging cornerstone in the ultra-high-speed development of the human information age.

Since Moore's Law or Moore's Prophecy matured in 1975, the global semiconductor industry has been running along the technological road given by Dr. Moore for more than 20 years. It was not until the end of the 20th century that it hit an unbreakable iron wall of 193nm. The light source of the lithography machine has been stuck in this wavelength for only 20 years. Intel was criticized at the turn of the century as a toothpaste factory, which was just a first-line reaction in the consumer field when lithography machine technology stopped.

Since the mid-1990s, scientists and the electronics industry have proposed various solutions that surpass 193nm, including 157nm laser, electron beam projection (epl), ion projection (ipl), euv (13.5nm) and x-ray. After several years of development, several major technical camps were formed at the turn of the century.

157nm f2: Every large lithography company is studying, but only Toyo Nikon is the first to launch a product that meets commercial standards.

157nm light will be absorbed by the lenses used in the current mainstream 193nm machines, and photoresist must also be redeveloped, so it is extremely difficult to transform the production line, which is almost a new start. The 157nm light source has improved by less than 25% to the wavelength of 193nm, and the R&D input-output ratio is too low.

I don’t know whether Dongyang is lucky or unfortunate. Thanks to its national craftsman spirit, Nikon, whose wavelength is shortened, is truly great. It is the first to solve the problem of light source wavelength that has plagued the world for more than ten years.

But unfortunately, at that time, the creativity of Chinese scientist Dr. Lin Benjian added water to the photoresist had turned the wavelength of the 193 light source directly into 137nm through refraction, and in the future, the line width of the 193 light source was directly pushed below ten nanometers, and directly sent the technology Nikon invested heavily in research and development back to his hometown without any suspense.

This matter can definitely be recorded in the development history of human electronics industry. It can be said that Dr. Lin Benjian directly sank the Dongyang electronics industry with his own strength. You should know that Nikon's development of a 157nm light source is by no means a problem with a light source. Its supporting lenses, photoresist, chemical preparations, workshop circuits, etc. are almost completely new, which is almost equivalent to changing the entire wafer production line or electronics industry foundation.

Thanks to Dongyang's strong electronic supporting industry strength, around the 157nm light source, the Dongyang electronic industry chain participated in countless large and small companies, and they were all discounted together. Before Liang Yuan smuggled and after the Dongyang Plaza agreement, Dr. Lin Benjian was absolutely indelible for the reason why the Dongyang economy was lost for twenty years.

In addition to the 157 light source that was suffocated, the 13.5nm euv ll is also the light source that is most likely to be invested in large-scale commercial applications in the upper limit of human technology before Liang Yuan smuggled. This camp includes Intel, Amd, Motorola, US Department of Energy, Asml, Infineon, Miron, etc.

1nm proximity x-ray: This camp includes aset, mitsubishi,,ne,toshiba,,ntt,ibm, Motorola, which is also a camp that was sunk by Dr. Lin Benjian. Because the laboratory has always been ahead of the industry, this camp started at the end of the 180s and used proximity exposure to produce. It was originally planned to be a post-compensation technology after 157 light source. Although it is not as unlucky as Nikon, the product is just mature, but the United States and Japan have invested billions of dollars in this direction. It has become unlucky before it was released. I don’t know whether it is a blessing or a misfortune.

0.004nm ebdw or epl: Lucent ~ Bell Labs, ibm, Canon, Nikon, Asml was invited to join and then quit first. The scientific name of this camp is electron beam direct writing technology. It is the most romantic and romantic one among all lithography technology camps. It is also the physical limit of lithography technology, and it is Fang Weilin's main purpose.

After being defeated by Asml, Nikon once bet on electron beam direct writing technology to fight to the death. Unfortunately, the difficulty of the research and development of this thing is the controllable nuclear fusion in the electronics industry. Until Liang Yuan smuggled, he didn't hear any big news about Nikon, who had been in the trap for ten years, made.

Generally speaking, the forefront of science and technology is mainly universities and is mostly engaged in basic technology research and development. Basic technology is often ahead of industrial application for more than ten or even hundreds of years. For example, Einstein's mass-energy equations and relativity theory, and the forefront of the industry is mainly university directional laboratories and various enterprise research institutes. Laboratory technology is basically the mainstream technology in the future, and it is often ahead of the existing technology in the industry for five to ten years. For example, in 2000, Nokia Laboratory created a personal electronic terminal similar to Apple phones in the laboratory, but unfortunately it was shot by Nokia executives.

Similarly, in the early 1990s, the cutting-edge laboratories of major companies engaged in electronics industry research and development had already discovered that the development of light sources suddenly fell into great difficulties after 193nm wavelength was discovered. The existing materials did not support shorter wavelength light sources at all, and the possibility of large-scale applications was possible. Continuing to shorten the wavelength can only be based on the discovery of new materials or the 153nm wavelength light sources with low yields, and update most of the equipment in the existing electronics industry.

Because the chip industry belongs to a high-tech industry, the front-line and the front-line production line are closely linked, and the laboratories' R&D difficulties quickly spread to the industry. As a result, although the 193nm light source has not yet been popularized, there are already signs of future camps.

As the only microelectronics group in the Republic that can touch the cutting edge of the industry, Hong Kong-based collectors are naturally quarrel about the future technological route. Some people have to stand on the side of 193nm and decide to look at the ones in front of them. Some people have to stand on the side of 153nm. It is also an increase of 25% compared to 193nm. Compared with extreme ultraviolet reflective EUV lithography, the difficulty of R&D of 153nm equipment is really reduced by an order of magnitude, and it seems to be a good solution to overtake on the curve.

There are also some R&D personnel with great courage and aggressive temperament who directly take the lead, and the most radical one is optimistic that electron beam direct writing technology is the best choice for breaking through 193nm light sources in the future.

There is a very widely circulated truth in the future Internet era. Only the multiple-choice questions are done by tyres. The local tyres have always wanted them all. Hong Kong-based power collectors are tyres in the global electronics industry. How can they have the energy to invest in R&D funds in all four camps? Thank God to be able to stick to one camp and not be left too far.

Funding is limited, and I personally think that facing the looming 193nm threshold, my direction is correct. Without Liang Yuan's intervention, there has been a quarrel within the Hong Kong Basic Core Core Core Core Co., Ltd., and the electron beam direct writing plan is the first plan to be shot and killed by the Hong Kong Basic Core Core Core Co., Ltd.

Due to the characteristics of electron beams, electron beam direct writing technology can lead the exposure technology in accuracy for four or five generations. That is to say, in the era when the mainstream technology of wafer production lines is 1.0 micron, electron beam direct writing technology can directly push the process line width to 0.13 micron.

Why did the technology that looks so awesome was killed by Hong Kong base collectors' executives immediately?

Generally speaking, in the early 1990s, the number of wafers processed by mainstream lithography machines was about 150 to 200 wafers per hour, while the number of wafers processed by electron beam direct writing technology was about three to five wafers per hour. The most detrimental thing is that as the complexity of chips in the future increases rapidly, Hong Kong-based current collector estimates that the processing capability of electron beam direct writing technology will also drop from three to five wafers per hour to three to five chips per hour.
Chapter completed!