The Tool Desk
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What the NSR-SF140 was designed to do
EE Times described the NSR-SF140 as a fifth-generation wide-field i-line stepper. Nikon positioned it for non-critical layers in the mass production of next-generation memory and microprocessors, rather than as a tool for every lithography layer in a chip. The report said its 26 × 33 mm exposure field matched the field of DUV scanners, supporting its intended role on those less demanding layers. EE Times, July 7, 2005
“Non-critical” is a relative process-design term: it identifies layers that do not require the tightest patterning capability of a given manufacturing process. In a separate 2000 announcement for the earlier NSR-SF100, Nikon said such layers generally made up about half of a chip’s layers and discussed mix-and-match use with its KrF scanners. That was a period-specific statement about the SF100, not a universal rule or a statistic established for the SF140. Nikon Precision, January 6, 2000
NSR-SF140 specifications
Nikon’s archived catalogue gives these specifications for the SF140; it does not state a publication date for the specification page. Nikon archived product specifications
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| Specification | NSR-SF140 |
|---|---|
| Resolution | ≤280 nm |
| Illumination | i-line, 365 nm |
| Numerical aperture | 0.62 |
| Reduction ratio | 1:4 |
| Exposure field | 26 × 33 mm |
| Alignment accuracy | ≤35 nm |
| Throughput | ≥117 wafers/hour for a 300 mm wafer at 76 shots |
The throughput figure is tied to both the wafer diameter and the number of shots. It should not be read as a rate for another wafer size or exposure condition. Nikon’s page labels the accuracy figure “alignment accuracy”; it should not be silently recast as a differently defined overlay measurement.
What Nikon claimed about cost
EE Times reported Nikon’s claim that the SF140 would have a lower total cost of ownership. The article supplies no comparative cost figures or independent cost analysis, so the claim is best understood as Nikon’s positioning, not a measured result established by the report. EE Times, July 7, 2005
Rank #2
- Wafer Pattern May Vary from the Product Images. Great to be used as gift, display object, exhibition, educating demonstration, testing, decoration or your collection
- Beautiful microchip pattern structure made by the advanced copper technology
- 90~130nm minimum microchip feature Copper Characterization with TEOS or Black Diamond Low-k ILD on the single crystal silicon wafer
- The original value of un-polished wafer is above $500
- No guarantee for research and other applications
Later i-line products are different machines
The NSR-SF140 is a 2005 product; its specifications should not be confused with those of Nikon’s later i-line steppers. Nikon’s current lineup includes the SF155 and the NSR-2205iL1, with different published specifications. Nikon semiconductor lithography systems
| Model | Illumination | Resolution | Reduction ratio | Exposure field | Alignment or overlay metric | Throughput |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| NSR-SF140 | 365 nm i-line | ≤280 nm | 1:4 | 26 × 33 mm | ≤35 nm alignment accuracy | ≥117 wafers/hour for a 300 mm wafer at 76 shots |
| NSR-SF155 | 365 nm i-line | Not stated on Nikon’s lineup page | 1:4 | 26 × 33 mm | ≤25 nm single-machine overlay | ≥200 wafers/hour for a 300 mm wafer at 76 shots |
| NSR-2205iL1 | 365 nm i-line | ≤350 nm (option-dependent) | 1:5 | 22 × 22 mm maximum | ≤70 nm single-machine overlay (option-dependent) | Not stated on Nikon’s lineup page |
These figures are not a like-for-like performance ranking: Nikon labels the SF140 accuracy value as alignment accuracy, while the newer models’ listed metric is single-machine overlay. The 2205iL1’s resolution and overlay figures depend on options. Nikon announced that model on August 31, 2023, and stated that sales would launch in summer 2024; it is distinct from the SF140. Nikon announcement, August 31, 2023
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