TWINSCAN XT:860N

Overview

The TWINSCAN XT:860N is a DUV wafer lithography system configured for 200 and 300 mm wafers and uses a 248 nm projection optical path. It delivers resolution at and below 110 nm while sustaining a production throughput of 260 300 mm (i.e., 275 200 mm) wafers per hour. The projection optics are implemented with a ZEISS Starlith 860+ 4X reduction lens offering a variable numerical aperture in the 0.55–0.80 NA range and a variable 0.80 NA 248 nm 860+ projection lens specification. Illumination and imaging are provided by AERIAL II with an optional QUASAR XL illuminator and the LithoGuide ILIAS imaging sensor for process control. The system is offered with highly line-narrowed 40, 50 & 60 W KrF lasers with variable frequency control. Key process-performance metrics include annular distortion ≤ 10 nm and matched-machine full-wafer-coverage overlay ≤ 7.5 nm; with a UVLS LRL level sensor the system throughput is specified as 260 wafers per hour. The XT:860N is intended for industrial-scale wafer lithography where sub-110 nm feature definition is required on 200 mm and 300 mm substrates; its throughput and overlay performance target high-volume production environments and manufacturing R&D labs. Typical operational use centers on multi-layer patterning flows that demand tight overlay control (≤ 7.5 nm) and low optical distortion (≤ 10 nm) while maintaining high wafer-per-hour rates. Configuration choices—particularly numerical aperture (0.55–0.80 NA), KrF laser power/frequency selection (40, 50, 60 W with variable frequency), and optional QUASAR XL illumination—allow engineers to balance resolution, depth of focus, and throughput to match process node and production objectives; the LithoGuide ILIAS sensor and ZEISS 4X reduction lens support the alignment and imaging stability needed for those trade-offs.