Ushio INC. confirms TinPhoenix as the EUV Light Source Business for Next Generation Semiconductor Devices
Ushio INC. (Head Office: Tokyo, Chief Executive Officer: Koji Naito) is accelerating the EUV light source business by covering the development, manufacturing, operation, and after-sales service which it can offer to industrialists across the world. Ushio has already achieved these goals thanks to a policy of contribution and commitment to the development of next-generation semiconductor mass-production processes. By concentrating their existing light technologies on EUV while others look elsewhere, Ushio have defined the EUV light source business and will accelerate the business globally under the TinPhoenix brand name*1.
Ushio offers optical products optimised for the miniaturisation needs of semiconductor manufacturers. Ushio has been providing UV lamps for lithography since 1977 under the brand name of “SH Series”. From 1988, lithography equipment under the brand name of “UX Series” for the semiconductor manufacturing process has been a staple of Ushio EUV offerings. In July this year, Ushio’s EUV light source was accepted by an inspection equipment manufacturer for the first time, for mask inspection uses within the EUV lithography mass-production process. The improvement to the performance and reliability of laser-assisted discharge plasma (SnLDP) EUV light sources*2 has set Ushio apart from other manufacturers in the market.
Many Japanese manufacturers supply the mass-production EUV equipment such as resistant materials, photomasks, and inspection equipment essential for establishing EUV within the semiconductor industry. However, Ushio have continuously developed EUV light source technology for high-precision mask inspection to achieve new social infrastructure such as 5G and IoT through the realisation of the practical next-generation semiconductor manufacturing.
The first exhibition of TinPhoenix technology took place at the PHOTOMASK TECHNOLOGY + EUV LITHOGRAPHY conference held from 15-19 September 2019, in Monterey, California and was organised by the International Society for Optics and Photonics (SPIE).
