The ArF PR enables a line width of 0.09 micron, thereby surpassing 0.10 micron, the critical dimension that was previously considered a technical limitation. HEI also announced that a line width of 0.07 micron is attainable when Resolution Enhancement Technology is applied. Photo resist is used in the lithography process, a core technology in semiconductor fabrication. HEI developed the ArF PR working in conjunction with Dongjin Semichem, an expert manufacturer of semiconductor materials. This advanced photo resist was developed from a previous-generation ArF PR that was developed by HEI in 1997 to enable a critical dimension of 0.13 micron. HEI’s new ArF PR has been evaluated by International SEMATECH (Semiconductor Manufacturing Technology), a nonprofit organization headquartered in Austin, Texas that is chartered with standardization of next-generation semiconductor technology. This evaluation has confirmed that HEI’s new ArF PR enables the critical dimension of 0.09 micron. Following International SEMATECH’s announcement, leading US semiconductor manufacturers such as TI and Intel are testing lithography using HEI’s new ArF PR. ArF PR is priced in the vicinity of 3 million won/liter, and the market for the product is expected to exceed US$1 billion by 2006. HEI is also expected to collect substantial royalty fees following the mass production of semiconductors produced with ArF PR. “Japanese semiconductor companies have worked jointly with Japanese semiconductor material suppliers in order to develop technology and construct an entire semiconductor technology infrastructure, which has ultimately placed Japan in a leadership position with world-class semiconductor technology,” said Dr. Ki-Ho Baik, the lithography research manager of HEI’s ArF PR production project. “Emulating this joint development strategy introduced by the Japanese companies, HEI is currently working not only with Dongjin Semichem but also with several other suppliers on the development of semiconductor materials. The outcome of this research will be announced in several months,” added Dr. Baik. He also stated that Korean material suppliers will assume global leadership in ArF lithography as a result of the joint research they have conducted to date with technologies such as ArF PR and Bottom Anti-Reflective Coating (BARC). In 1998, HEI transferred ArF PR technology to Dojin Semichem to co-develop for mass production; then in 1999, HEI exported this technology to the Swiss company, Clarian, the world’s leading chemical manufacturer.
– Hyundai Electronics Industries Co., Ltd. (HEI) announced today that it has successfully begun mass production of new photo resist called Argon Fluoride Photo Resist (ArF PR).
