Canon Inc. Commences Sales Of FPA-3030iWa i-line Stepper For Small Substrates Under 200 mm, Supporting Manufacturing Of Various Devices

MELVILLE, NY, December 18, 2019 – Canon U.S.A., Inc., today announced that its parent company, Canon Inc. has commenced sales of the FPA-3030iWa i-line semiconductor lithography system, or stepper*. The FPA-3030iWa supports small substrates under 200 mm in diameter that are commonly used for fabricating devices related to 5G communication and the Internet-of-Things (IoT), such as MEMS and sensors. With the growth of power electronics applications in electric vehicles, there is an increasing demand for these wafers in the market.

Through the combination of an overhauled lens design and a handling system that is compatible with a variety of different wafers, the FPA-3030iWa supports not only silicon wafer processing but also wafers used for the production of compound semiconductors. With increased exposure precision and support for various wafer types, this equipment can help meet a wide range of needs for innovative device manufacturing processes.

The FPA-3030iWa features a 52 mm x 52 mm wide-field projection lens with a variable numerical aperture (NA) ranging from 0.16 to 0.24 to deliver a large depth of focus (DOF) and make possible high-precision exposure and uniform line width resolution. Additionally, the FPA-3030iWa can be equipped with an optional handling system that enables the selection of wafer diameters from two inches (50 mm) to eight inches (200 mm) to support a variety of different compound semiconductor wafer sizes and materials.

The FPA-3030iWa stepper employ an off-axis alignment scope that measures wafer alignment marks through an optical path that does not pass through the projection lens. This allows the off-axis alignment system to use a wide range of alignment illumination wavelengths, providing robust alignment process optimization.

The FPA-3030iWa stepper features overhauled hardware and software evolved from the predecessor model FPA-3000iW (released in February 1995). The system updates make the FPA-3030iWa compatible with new options including wafer transfer functions supporting warped and transparent wafer processes such as silicon carbide and alignment system options that allow simultaneous X & Y alignment mark measurement to help increase stepper productivity.

FPA-3030iWa precision imaging, wafer flexibility and alignment system are among the many features that combine to make the system applicable for a variety of device manufacturing processes.

About Canon U.S.A., Inc.
Canon U.S.A., Inc., is a leading provider of consumer, business-to-business, and industrial digital imaging solutions to the United States and to Latin America and the Caribbean markets. With approximately $36 billion in global revenue, its parent company, Canon Inc. (NYSE:CAJ), ranks third overall in U.S. patents granted in 2018† and was named one of Fortune Magazine's World's Most Admired Companies in 2019. Canon U.S.A. is dedicated to its Kyosei philosophy of social and environmental responsibility. To keep apprised of the latest news from Canon U.S.A., sign up for the Company's RSS news feed by visiting www.usa.canon.com/rss and follow us on Twitter @CanonUSA. 

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† Based on weekly patent counts issued by United States Patent and Trademark Office.

* i-line Stepper: A semiconductor lithography system that utilizes a 365 nm wavelength mercury lamp as the light source. 1 nm (nanometer) is 1 billionth of a meter.