Canon commences sales of FPA-3030iWa i-line stepper for small substrates under 200 mm, supporting manufacturing of various devices

Canon Inc. announced today that the company has commenced sales of the FPA-3030iWa i-line semiconductor lithography system, or stepper^*. The FPA-3030iWa supports small substrates under 200 mm in diameter that are commonly used for fabricating devices related to 5G communication and the Internet-of-Things (IoT), such as MEMS and sensors. The growth of power electronics applications in electric vehicles is also increasing demand for these wafers.

Through the combination of an overhauled lens design and a handling system that is compatible with a variety of different wafers, the FPA-3030iWa supports not only silicon wafer processing but also wafers used for the production of compound semiconductors. With increased exposure precision and support for various wafer types, this equipment meets a wide range of needs for innovative device manufacturing processes.

The FPA-3030iWa features a 52 mm x 52 mm wide-field projection lens with a variable numerical aperture (NA) ranging from 0.16 to 0.24 to deliver a large depth of focus (DOF) and make possible high-precision exposure and uniform line width resolution. Additionally, the FPA-3030iWa can be equipped with a handling system that enables the selection of wafer diameters from two inches (50 mm) to eight inches (200 mm) to support a variety of different compound semiconductor wafer sizes and materials.

FPA-3030iWa steppers also employ an off-axis alignment scope that measures wafer alignment marks through an optical path that does not pass through the projection lens. This allows the off-axis alignment system to use a wide range of alignment illumination wavelengths, providing robust alignment process optimization.

FPA-3030iWa steppers feature overhauled hardware and software evolved from the predecessor model FPA-3000iW (released in February 1995). The system updates make the FPA-3030iWa compatible with new options including wafer transfer functions supporting warped and transparent wafer processes such as silicon carbide and alignment system options that allow simultaneous X & Y alignment mark measurement to increase stepper productivity.

FPA-3030iWa precision imaging, wafer flexibility and alignment system are among the many features that combine to make the system applicable for a variety of device manufacturing processes.

• *i-line Stepper: A semiconductor lithography system that utilizes a 365 nm wavelength mercury lamp as the light source. 1 nm (nanometer) is 1 billionth of a meter.