Schott Lithotec AG of Jena, a leading manufacturer of optical high-tech materials and components, has signed an access agreement with the extreme ultraviolet (EUV) research program of International SE…
Schott Lithotec AG of Jena, a leading manufacturer of optical high-tech materials and components, has signed an access agreement with the extreme ultraviolet (EUV) research program of International SEMATECH“s (ISMT) in Albany, New York. The agreement allows Schott Lithotec to send researchers to ISMT“s EUV Mask Blank Development Center at the International SEMATECH-North (ISMT-N) facility at the University at Albany-SUNY. Schott Lithotec will work with ISMT engineers in areas such as film deposition, cleaning and metrology for EUVL mask blanks. The objective of the agreement is to jointly generate knowledge and to share experience to support and accelerate the development of EUV mask blanks. This project also will benefit from the proximity of ISMT-N to Schott Lithotec“s mask blank facility in Poughkeepsie, New York state. Schott Lithotec has been researching new technologies intensively for many years. In cooperation with partners, the company was able to introduce the first completely coated EUV photomask blank in the 3Q of 2002. It also signed a supply agreement for EUV blanks with International SEMATECH, and agreed to a license contract with the EUV LLC syndicate to increase its know-how and set the goal of creating a commercially viable pilot-product of EUV lithography photomask blanks while fulfilling the required specifications of beta tools by 2006. In EUVL, which some consider the next step after optical lithography, shorter wavelengths allow the production of high-end micro chips with structures smaller than 45 nm. Schott Lithotec, substantially owned by Schott Glas, is the only worldwide supplier offering the complete range of optical materials and components for microlithography applications. The company is already recognized as market and technology leader in the field of the key optical material calcium fluoride and is seeking a leading position in the field of advanced photomask blanks. Headquartered in Jena, Germany, Schott Lithotec has production facilities in Germany and the US and representatives in various countries. International SEMATECH (ISMT) is a global semiconductor technology development consortium that has effectively represented the semiconductor manufacturing industry on innovation issues since 1988; its members are AMD, Hewlett-Packard, IBM, Infineon, Intel, Motorola, Philips, Texas Instruments and TSMC. ISMT conducts state-of-the-art research, and is a highly-regarded technology partner whose goal is to promote the interests common to all chipmakers.