At a glance
| Booth | R7724 |
| Country | DE |
| Website | heidelberg-instruments.com |
Company profile
Founded in 1984, Heidelberg Instruments Mikrotechnik GmbH designs, develops, and produces high-precision laser lithography systems, maskless aligners, and nanofabrication tools. The company serves industry and academia, with more than 1,500 systems installed worldwide and over 40 years of expertise in advanced lithography and direct-write technologies for micro- and nanofabrication. Its portfolio ranges from compact tabletop systems for R&D and small-series production to advanced photomask manufacturing equipment for high-volume production. Its solutions support high-resolution 2D structuring and complex 2.5D topographies through grayscale lithography, combining precision, flexibility, and automation to reduce development costs and time-to-market. Application areas include photonics, electronics and sensors, semiconductors and advanced packaging, displays, quantum devices, MEMS, microfluidics, 2D materials, and photomask production. For semiconductor manufacturing and research, its lithography tools address processes across development and production, while industrial maskless aligners can integrate with machine execution systems through SECS/GEM with GEM300 support and OPC/UA for reticle fabrication, maskless exposure, adaptive patterning, and multilayer-device and advanced-packaging alignment. Heidelberg Instruments Mikrotechnik GmbH employs approximately 400 people worldwide, is headquartered in Germany, and has subsidiaries in Japan, Korea, and the United States. The company operates Process and Application Labs in Germany, Switzerland, and China, belongs to the LAB14 Group, and is represented exclusively by Stella Technology Co., Ltd. in the Chinese and Taiwanese markets.
Exhibits
The product range includes high-precision laser lithography systems, maskless aligners, and nanofabrication tools; MLA 300 is a maskless aligner for volume production, and ULTRA is a semiconductor mask writer. ULTRA is designed for high-throughput, high-precision photomask writing for mature semiconductor nodes and produces photomasks for microcontrollers, power management ICs, LEDs, IoT devices, photonics, and MEMS. Its advanced exposure engine and optimized write modes reduce mask-writing time, with a standard 6-inch photomask written in less than 45 minutes and SLM-based write speeds up to 580 mm²/minute. Full automatic mask handling provides repeatable loading and unloading for continuous operation, while optimized write modes let users prioritize speed or resolution. A full air-bearing stage, zero-thermal-expansion ZERODUR® chuck, high-resolution differential interferometer, stage corrections, and tool-matching functions support overlay, registration, Critical Dimension uniformity, stability, and repeatable feature placement. Custom high-NA write optics and low-distortion UV optics support structures down to 500 nm, and the compact system footprint is designed for integration into existing mask-shop cleanrooms. ULTRA can handle complex geometries and dense patterns at high exposure speed, including round features, and application examples include 5 µm circles in chrome with 600 nm line width, 700 nm chrome structures, 1 µm chrome lines, 500 nm tilted lines and spaces, 500 nm holes in IP3250 resist on Si wafers, and waveguide patterns in 550 nm positive resist. The 500 nm tilted-line examples are relevant to applications including SAW filters, printed circuits, and photonic structures such as optical grids. For QX and FX modes respectively, technical data lists address grids of 4 and 10 nm, line-edge roughness of 20 and 40 nm, position accuracy of 40 and 80 nm, overlay of 30 and 60 nm, stitching of 20 and 60 nm, second-layer alignment maximum error of 100 and 100 nm, CD uniformity of 30 and 60 nm, minimum feature sizes of 500 and 700 nm, write speeds of 325 and 580 mm²/min, and 6-inch by 6-inch write times of 75 and 45 minutes. Operation features include a SEMI-compliant GUI, a maximum write area of 228 x 228 mm² with other sizes on request, and support for 4-inch, 5-inch, 6-inch, 7-inch, and 9-inch masks with larger and other substrates on request. The optical and laser system includes a 0.9 NA objective lens, low-distortion UV optics, automatic calibration routines, and a high-power diode-pumped solid-state laser with a 355 nm wavelength. Focusing and alignment features include real-time optical autofocus, a camera system, distortion compensation, global and field-by-field alignment, and an edge detector. The data path provides real-time compression, a scalable hardware concept, standard input formats including GDSII and Jobdeck, and a Spatial Light Modulator operating at 350 kHz with a 2.4 GB/s data rate. Automation includes full automatic mask handling with two carrier stations for masks up to 9 inches and optional SECS/GEM protocols. The system and electronic rack have respective widths of 2995 and 800 mm, depths of 1652 and 650 mm, heights of 2102 and 1800 mm, and weights of 3400 and 180 kg; installation requirements are 400 VAC ± 5%, 50/60 Hz, 16A, three phases, and 7 to 10 bar compressed air without oil or other residue.
Capabilities and products
- high-precision laser lithography systems
- maskless aligners
- nanofabrication tools
- grayscale lithography for complex 2.5D topographies
- high-throughput photomask writing for mature semiconductor nodes
- 6-inch photomask writing in under 45 minutes
- photomask write speed up to 580 mm²/min
- photomask writing down to 500 nm structures
- SECS/GEM with GEM300 equipment integration
- GDSII/Jobdeck photomask data input