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14 Jul 2006
Recognition for the developer of the "deep" UV laser developer at Semicon West. optics.org interviews Deep's VP marketing about this fast emerging technology.
Deep Photonics, a start-up technology company manufacturing deep UV laser solutions for the semiconductor and electronics markets, was this week (11 July) given the Technology Innovation Showcase award for Test, Assembly & Packaging solutions at the Semicon West event, in San Fransisco, CA, US.
The award is part of technology-focused TechXPOT showcase at the event that recognizes innovative companies in the semiconductor industry.
Joseph Lachapelle, Deep Photonics's company president and CEO, also presented at the event on the use of the company's 266 nm high power fiber laser designed for enabling front end and back end applications.
"With our proprietary technology, companies no longer need to compromise between short wavelength, high power and long life," said James Field, VP Marketing. "As a start-up company, we are proud to be recognized by the semiconductor industry as an innovative manufacturer that is breaking through solid-state technology barriers."
optics.org interviews James Field, Deep's VP of marketing
optics.org: How do you define "deep UV" and why is it of interest for new laser developments?
James Field: We view deep UV as the range between 266 and 193 nm generally but also down to 157 nm. It does not include EUV wavelengths. This area is of interest because there are many applications in the semiconductor and electronics industries that require the shorter wavelengths from a solid state laser.
One example is wafer inspection. With the node going to 65 nm, the 266 nm wavelength is required to find any 30 nm defects in the process. A 355 nm laser will not find such features needed for such defect detection. Also in pulsed applications for micromachining, 266 nm is useful because of the absorption characteristics of many associated materials.
o.o: What are the applications of deep UV lasers?
JF: The applications we are focused on today deal with the semiconductor and electronics industries. In the semiconductor sector, we are focused on reticle inspection, brightfield and dark field wafer inspection, scatterometry and CD metrology. Also, wafer scribing and dicing or silicon processing via drilling.
In electronics applications include laser direct imaging, via drilling and automated optical inspection. However, we are not focused on lithography; Cymer does a great job in that space. We are working on the applications that support the lithography process (reticle inspection) and are the output of lithography (wafer inspection).
o.o: Are the lasers custom-produced for specific jobs or are they made to stock?
JF: Deep Photonics is a supplier to OEMs in these industries. We develop the laser to meet the OEMs' requirements. We will have standard products. Our 500 mW 266 nm CW laser is one example. It can be used for several target applications. We develop both CW and pulsed laser.
o.o: What are the volumes of production, specifications and typical prices?
JF: We see market size in the thousands of units. On the CW side we believe that there is a market for both a 500 mW and 1 W 266nm laser of around 1,000 units per year. And on the pulsed side we believe the market size would be about 2000-3000 units per year.
We currently have two products types. In CW lasers it is 500 mW and 1 W 266 nm models. In pulsed mode we have developed lasers at 6 W nanosecond pulsed 266 nm. Coming soon will be a 1-4 W picosecond pulsed laser. The 500 mW model will sell in one-off volumes of $180,000. The pulsed 6 W laser will sell for $175,000. We have not priced the picosecond laser at this time but there will be volume discounts, of course.
o.o: What is the financial potential of the deep UV lasers; is demand for them international or primarily within the US?
JF: The market for deep UV in the semiconductor and electronics is currently at $500 million worldwide and growing at about 15% per year. This is a broad international sector which is generally supporting the fabs around the globe.
o.o: What is the importance of this Semicon West 2006 prize and what are its implications for the company?
JF: We are gratified to be recognized by Semi so early in our development. Our lasers are the result of 10 years of materials research and two years of process development at Deep, which is resulting in a high power, long life deep UV lasers.
The award is a validation our products and the importance of the technology to the semiconductor industry. This award has also raised our visibility in the market place and we are see new application opportunities being sent in on a weekly basis.
About Deep Photonics
Deep Photonics, headquartered in Corvallis, OR, US, was founded in 2004 to commercialize a novel nonlinear optical material for developing high-power, solid state deep UV fiber lasers.
The Corvallis facility supports laser and crystal manufacturing functions including optical materials and laser R&D, custom design and volume manufacturing. The company is aiming to become the leader in high power, solid-state deep UV lasers designed for sub-300 nm CW and pulsed lasers in the semiconductor and telecoms industries.
Deep Photonics is currently commercializing patented and proprietary materials technology, laser technology and manufacturing trade secrets for the production of novel solid-state lasers at 266 nm.
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