NIKON, A*STAR To Set Up Advanced Lithography R&D Lab

Nikon Corporation and A*STAR will jointly set up a R&D laboratory in Singapore to develop advanced optical lithography technology.

AsianScientist (Dec. 24, 2012) – Nikon Corporation and the A*STAR Institute of Microelectronics (IME) have announced a collaboration to jointly set up a R&D laboratory in Singapore.

The collaborative project will develop advanced optical lithography technology used in the manufacturing of semiconductor chips, such as multiple patterning and directed self assembly techniques to drive the extension of ArF Deep Ultraviolet (DUV) dry and immersion lithography down to a geometry of 20 nm and beyond.

Applications of ArF lithography include logic, high density memory, embedded non-volatile memory, high-speed electronics and nanophotonics, and nano-electro-mechanical systems (NEMs).

According to the press statement, Nikon says that the joint laboratory will help it to tap into IME’s advanced R&D infrastructure, process technology, and talent pool to shorten the time-to-market for its products.

“Through this collaboration with IME, Nikon will gain knowledge of future process technology and total solution, which will be important for our lithography system development. We are very excited to partner with one of the most advanced and established institute in the Asia region,” said Mr. Kazuo Ushida, President of Nikon Precision Equipment Company.

Calling it a “significant milestone for advanced semiconductor R&D in Singapore,” IME Executive Director Prof. Dim-Lee Kwong said that the collaboration expands the semiconductor research institute’s collaborations with industry partners, research institutes, and universities.

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Source: A*STAR; Photo: beef.200%/Flickr/CC.
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