The only listed company in mask aligner

The only listed company in mask aligner is Zhangjiang Hi-Tech Company. Mask mask aligner, also known as mask alignment exposure machine, exposure system and lithography system, is the core equipment for manufacturing chips. It uses a technology similar to photo printing to print the fine patterns on the mask onto the silicon wafer through exposure.

There are many brands in mask aligner, which can be divided into the following categories according to different technical routes:

1, high-end projection mask aligner can be divided into step projection and scanning projection mask aligner, and the resolution is usually between seven nanometers and several microns. High-end mask aligner is known as the most sophisticated instrument in the world, and there are 65438+200 million US dollars of mask aligner in the world. High-end mask aligner is the flower of modern optical industry, and its manufacturing is very difficult, and only a few companies in the world can manufacture it. Foreign brands are mainly ASML in the Netherlands (the lens is from Germany), Nikon in Japan (high-end mask aligner, from which Intel once bought Nikon) and Canon in Japan.

2. SMEE, located in Shanghai, China, has developed a projection mid-range mask aligner with independent intellectual property rights, formed a product series, and initially achieved domestic and international sales. The production of R&D and other series products is in progress.

3. The low-end mask aligner used in production line and R&D are proximity and contact mask aligner, and the resolution is usually above several microns. There are mainly German sus, American MYCRO NXQ4006 and China brands.

The main performance indexes of mask aligner are: supporting substrate size range, resolution, alignment accuracy, exposure mode, light source wavelength, light intensity uniformity, production efficiency, etc.

1, the resolution is a description of the thinnest line precision that lithography can achieve. The resolution of lithography is limited by light source diffraction, so it is limited by light source, lithography system, photoresist and process.

2. Alignment accuracy refers to the positioning accuracy of interlayer patterns during multilayer exposure.

3. Exposure methods are divided into contact approach, projection and direct writing.

4. The wavelength of exposure light source is divided into ultraviolet, deep ultraviolet and extreme ultraviolet regions, including mercury lamp and excimer laser.