Lighting optics for semiconductor industry

The technology pioneer in optics

In the high-tech segment of semiconductor technology, our main focus is on lighting optics for chip production. These large and especially precise lens assemblies and mirror optics work in the UV and EUV range. Thanks to their unusual properties, they pave the way for many other markets.

“It doesn’t get much mainstream coverage, but the technology behind the extreme ultraviolet (EUV) lithography systems that are finally cranking up to volume production in chip fabrication facilities around the world ought to be regarded as one of the marvels of the modern industrial era.”

Photonics News, October 18, 2019 – optics.org

Design set-up of lighting optics for chip production

The quality requirements made on lighting optics for chip production are enormous. In order to produce EUV systems, which are on the market from prices starting at 100 million USD, the following is required for the design set-up:

Precision down to the nanometer or even sub-nanometer range as far as individual surfaces are concerned
Extreme stability and rigidity in order to achieve a high repeatability
Adherence to a 6 Sigma quality process with regard to operation and specifications

During set-up of these high-precision lens assemblies, the individual lens elements are aligned both to their cell and to one another with the aid of centration testing. Validation of the image quality takes place through an MTF or wave front test.

The size of the optics makes it especially difficult to change between the different measuring systems. For this reason, the integration of measuring systems in an efficient working process is extremely important.