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Army lab enlists x-ray tool

The U.S. Army Research Laboratory (ARL) has signed a $13-million contract with JMAR Technologies to develop the company's x-ray lithography technology. The lab hopes to produce and deliver a point source x-ray lithography workstation with an hourly throughput rate of 24 300-mm wafers using JMAR's PXS laser plasma technology. Researchers at the DARPA-funded lab are trying to integrate the PXS system into a mask-to-wafer alignment tool under development in other DARPA programs. The contract is the largest signed by San Diego—based JMAR since its founding in 1987 and represents a major boost for the company's bottom line, says John Martinez, president and CEO.

JMAR's PXS technology focuses the intense light beam from a solid-state laser onto a target, generating x-rays similar to those made by synchrotrons. As the only other method of producing x-rays for steppers, synchrotrons are costly and unwieldy, notes Martinez, and he says the PXS technology "is designed specifically to overcome these issues." When fully developed, JMAR's technology could be used to build an x-ray stepper comparable in size to current optical lithography tools with the ability to imprint 0.13-µm linewidths, he says.

Chipmaker hot for furnace

Eaton says a "leading" U.S. chipmaker has purchased a Compact II fast ramp vertical furnace from the supplier's thermal processing systems business. The furnace houses two process chambers in a single unit. Designed for BEOL processes, the tool handles copper metal annealing and low-k dielectric curing, says Eaton. The system supports 0.25- and 0.18-µm processes and can be used with both 200- and 300-mm wafers, the supplier adds.

Emcore investment pays off

Recent investments in its TurboDisc equipment division have paid off with 11 orders for the MOCVD tool, Emcore says. The New Jersey—based supplier says six of the orders were for its new SpectraBlue gallium nitride systems, and five were for the Enterprise 400 systems. Two of the Enterprise tools will be used to make high-brightness LEDs, two will be used for advanced solar cell production, and one will be used to make advanced vertical cavity surface emitting lasers. Repeat and new customers in both Asia and North America purchased the tools.

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