ACM Research (Shanghai) Co., Ltd. , a leading supplier of wafer process solutions for semiconductor front-end and advanced wafer-level packaging applications, today announced the delivery of its first order for an advanced photoresist curing equipment, Ultra Lith BK (Baker), from a leading global display manufacturer.
This equipment is specifically designed to address challenges such as insufficient uniformity, temperature drift, and critical size variation in advanced lithography processes, helping manufacturers maintain stable yields and pattern fidelity as device dimensions continue to shrink. Leveraging industry-leading UV curing uniformity and precise temperature control technology, this equipment enables highly stable and repeatable lithography processes.
Wang Jian, General Manager of Shengmei Shanghai, stated:
As lithography technology continues to push the limits of precision, maintaining uniformity in process control is crucial for achieving stable yields and device performance. The delivery of the Ultra Lith BK marks a significant milestone for ACM Shanghai – it's the first Track series device we've deployed to a client after completing initial demonstration and validation. This also signifies our formal entry into the market of display manufacturers with higher demands for equipment performance and stability, and who possess large-scale production capabilities. The Ultra Lith BK integrates high uniformity, a configurable architecture, and flexible exposure modes, helping customers significantly suppress process variations and laying the foundation for mass production expansion at future technology nodes.
Ultra Lith BK's UV curing system achieves ±5% UV intensity uniformity, ensuring uniform curing of photoresist across the entire wafer. The equipment supports line scan, rotation, and hybrid exposure modes, providing maximum process flexibility. Its advanced thermal management technology further reduces critical dimension variation, overlay errors, and pattern distortion, significantly improving yield and reliability.
Ultra Lith BK has the following features and advantages:
The Ultra Lith BK integrates six cold plates, achieving a temperature uniformity of ±0.1°C. The entire unit features a configurable design, accommodating up to 32 hot plates and two UV curing systems, allowing customers to flexibly configure it according to different process formulations and photoresist integration requirements. Hot plates are available in two sizes:
• The high-flow hot plate has a maximum process temperature of 250°C and a temperature uniformity of ≤0.2%.
• The low-flow hot plate operates at a maximum temperature of 180°C with a temperature uniformity of ≤0.08%, which is an industry-leading level.
