Press release - Veldhoven, the Netherlands, February 1, 2000
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.
About ASML
ASM Lithography, founded in 1984, is a world leader in advanced photolithography systems that are essential to the fabrication of integrated circuits. ASML is publicly traded on both the Amsterdam Exchanges and on the Nasdaq Stock Market under the symbol 'ASML'. ASML Special Applications is a business division of ASML offering leading-edge imaging solutions to customers with application-specific lithography requirements. These include markets such as thin-film heads (TFHs) for disk drives; gallium arsenide and other compound semiconductors such as power, linear and mixed-signal ICs; and other specific lithography applications. ASML SA also offers a broad range of upgrade and option programs for customers using g-line and i-line technology.
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