Align-Rite International Orders Laser Patterning Systems

Align-Rite International, Inc. (Burbank, CA) has placed a $25-million order with Etec Systems, Inc. (Hayward, CA) for two ALTA 3500 laser patterning systems and several MEBES electron beam system upgrades.

"This order underscores Align-Rite's decision to position itself at the forefront of our industry to address the growing demand for the most advanced photomasks including: 0.25 micron, optical proximity correction (OPC) and phase shift (PSM) product applications," said James Mac Donald, Align-Rite's chairman, president and CEO.

The laser patterning systems are scheduled to be installed at Align-Rite's manufacturing facilities in Wales and California in summer 1998 and early in calendar 1999, respectively. The installation at Align-Rite's manufacturing facility in Bridgend, Wales will be Etec's first installation of the system in Europe.

The system is capable of imaging photomask substrates as large as 9 in. on a side. Features such as a 0.8 numerical aperture postscan lens; a new auto-focus system; a new plate chuck; and a four-offset, multipass exposure, enhanced raster writing strategy improve image placement, critical dimension and alignment control, while allowing the system to maintain high productivity. The ALTA 3500 load station allows fully automatic loading and writing of masks, either individually or in batches, as selected by the operator.

"The ALTA 3500 offers features not found anywhere else in the market today," said Etec's chairman, president and CEO, Steve Cooper. "Align-Rite has selected the phase shift alignment option on both systems, which offers improved alignment performance and will allow the systems to write advanced multilevel, phase shift photomasks. Etec's customers are installing these systems and quickly putting them to work to produce the industry's most complex 0.25 micron device generation photomasks," Cooper added.

Edited by Beth Brindle