Cymer To Ship New XLR 500i Laser Light Source To ASML

San Diego, CA - Cymer, Inc., the supplier of excimer laser light sources used in semiconductor manufacturing, recently announced it has reached agreement to ship its new XLR 500i light source to lithography system provider ASML in the current quarter.

The XLR 500i will be incorporated into ASML's argon fluoride (ArF) systems over time, starting with the XT:1900i immersion model scanner, for qualification. The XLR utilizes a new laser architecture which replaces the conventional power amplifier stage with a recirculating ring, delivering improved pulse energy stability for improved dosage control, increasing yield and productivity and providing a significant reduction in cost of ownership (CoO) compared to previous generation ArF products.

"ASML is pleased to take delivery of Cymer's new XLR 500i light source, which promises significant reduction in cost of operation for our customers," said Martin van den Brink, executive vice president of marketing and technology at ASML.

"We look forward to working closely with ASML to demonstrate the performance of this new source," said Bob Akins, Cymer's chairman and chief executive officer. "The XLR leverages the advantages of a new era of improved optical stability sources to achieve a step function reduction in operating cost. This cost reduction can be realized immediately by chip makers, while the performance benefits will be realized first beginning at the 45 nm node and growing further as features continue to shrink."

The XLR system is an optical evolution based upon the XL platform which has been widely adopted by the industry as the standard in volume production ArF lithography. More than 400 XL Series systems have been shipped to date so XLR customers can be confident in a smooth, low-risk transition to volume manufacturing of a production-proven design. The XLR 500i produces 60W of power, and can be upgraded in the field to a 90W configuration to support increased productivity.

SOURCE: Cymer, Inc.