The Nikon eReview Spring 2009

News
	AMD (GlobalFoundries) Demonstrates Great Product Performance Using NSR-S610C
	CEA-LETI and Nikon Update on Double Patterning Program
	Intel Expert Discusses Lithography Technology and Future Trends
	Nikon Works With Customers and EDA Vendors to Bridge the k₁ Gap
	Nikon Named Recipient of Prestigious Intel SCQI Award

Featured Article
	AZ SOLID™ Coating for Double Patterning Applications

Upcoming Events
	SEMICON West 2009 July 14-16, 2009 Moscone Center San Francisco, CA Visit Nikon in Booth 5947
	SEMICON West Investor Relations Breakfast July 15, 2009 Moscone Center San Francisco, CA
	SEMICON West Technology Luncheon July 15, 2009 Moscone Center San Francisco, CA REGISTER NOW

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Dear Reader,

During these particularly challenging times, Nikon realizes that it is vital to remain focused on providing customers with the best products, service, and support possible; as well as continuing to build and strengthen relationships with partner companies. Because of our sustained drive toward these objectives, Nikon was recently recognized by Intel Corporation and awarded the prestigious Supplier Continuous Quality Improvement (SCQI) award for our world-class support and outstanding performance.

Further, Nikon was very pleased to host more than 300 customers and colleagues at the sixth annual LithoVision technical symposium, held prior to the start of SPIE Advanced Lithography. Event attendees indicated that this year’s symposium, featuring invited experts from Intel Corporation, Advanced Micro Devices, CEA-LETI-Minatec, Cymer, and Nikon, as well as posters from a dozen partner companies, was the best to date. Highlights of the LithoVision presentations and posters are featured in this edition of the Nikon eReview, and full event materials are available upon request.

We sincerely appreciate your suggestions on how we can better serve our customers, and encourage you to respond to the Nikon eReview (npicom@nikon.com) with your comments.

AMD (GlobalFoundries) Demonstrates Great Product Performance Using NSR-S610C
	Discussing the current status of immersion performance and NSR-S610C production integration within AMD Dresden at LithoVision 2009, Dr. Harry Levinson, Senior Fellow and Manager of AMD’s Strategic Lithography Technology Department, announced that through close cooperation between Nikon and AMD, they have achieved world-class focus and overlay data, and demonstrated great product performance using the S610C.
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CEA-LETI and Nikon Update on Double Patterning Program
	Dr. Laurent Pain, Lithography Lab Manager at CEA-LETI-Minatec, provided an overview of the double patterning (DP) joint development program between LETI and Nikon at LithoVision. Dr. Pain reported that in addition to validating the Nikon error models used to establish requirements for DP system design, a DP process down to k₁ of 0.14 was demonstrated using dry lithography. Mr. Masato Hamatani, General Manager of Nikon’s Stepper Mechanical Design Department, followed with an update on the NSR-S620 DP scanner, which will be available in Q4 2009.
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Intel Expert Discusses Lithography Technology and Future Trends
	Mr. Sam Sivakumar, Intel Fellow and Director of Lithography at Intel Corporation's Technology Development Group in Oregon, presented his view on immersion and future lithography trends at the 2009 LithoVision symposium earlier this year. Mr. Sivakumar announced immersion has successfully moved into the production phase, demonstrating steady progress towards achieving yield parity with dry litho. He reported that pitch doubling and EUV technology are both candidates for future applications, with EUV readiness and cost of ownership being key decision factors.
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Nikon Works With Customers and EDA Vendors to Bridge the k₁ Gap
	Although the industry has already invented elaborate ways to stretch optical lithography, Nikon highlighted the importance of scanner makers partnering with OPC vendors to provide flexible solutions to bridge the k₁ gap for customers. At the LithoVision symposium, Dr. Stephen Renwick, Principal Engineer at Nikon Precision, discussed methods to include scanner details in OPC calculations, as well as ways to optimize the source and mask, and match optical proximity effects. Further details were presented by Cadence Design Systems and Nikon in the poster session, and an announcement by Synopsys, Inc. followed.
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Nikon Named Recipient of Prestigious Intel SCQI Award
	Nikon was honored to receive Intel Corporation's Supplier Continuous Quality Improvement (SCQI) award for 2008. This award is Intel's highest honor for its suppliers, acknowledging extraordinary commitment to quality and exceptional performance for providing lithography scanners for technology development and high volume manufacturing deemed essential to Intel's success.
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AZ SOLID™ Coating for Double Patterning Applications
	The transition to the 32 nm half-pitch will require IC manufacturers to adopt ArF immersion double patterning (DP). To lower the associated cost and simplify DP processes for customers, materials suppliers are investigating methods to enable litho-litho-etch (LLE) technology by incorporating an intermediate freezing process. AZ has developed the SOLID™ spin-on freezing materials to deliver the performance and robustness necessary for double patterning applications using a single etch step.
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