Seagate places first order for new thin-film head deep UV stepper from ASML SA

ASML's Special Applications division (ASML SA) has installed the first SA 5500/TFH300 deep UV stepper at Seagate Technology Inc., the world's largest manufacturer of read-write heads, magnetic disks and disk drives. This marks the first business between the two companies. The deep UV lithography system, one of two new steppers for thin-film head (TFH) imaging introduced in September 1999 by ASML SA, will be used by Seagate for GMR (giant magneto-resistive) TFH production.

"The superior alignment and imaging performance of ASML SA's new deep UV stepper on TFH substrates and the company's proven technical leadership in deep UV lithography were key factors in our purchasing decision," said Jeff LaCroix, Seagate vice president of Recording Head Advanced Process Technology.

The SA 5500/TFH300 stepper's industry-leading colinearity performance (the ability to print straight, uninterrupted lines ranging over multiple image fields), low lens distortion and 0.25-micron resolution enable the system to process TFHs with areal densities of more than 10 gigabytes per square inch. This system can process more than 120 six-inch-round substrates per hour with a pattern overlay accuracy of <45 nm. Designed as a versatile production tool, it has the flexibility to accommodate square TFH substrates up to 4.5 inches and round TFH substrates up to eight inches in diameter and up to 2 mm thick.