Firms Look for Partners in Deep-Ultraviolet Lithography Research

ASM Lithography of Tempe, Ariz., and IMEC, a research and development organization in Leuven, Belgium, will collaborate on 193-nm-wavelength deep-ultraviolet lithography. The companies will work to develop advanced optical processes that produce 0.13-µm linewidths, considered vital in developing next-generation, high-density devices such as 4-Gbit DRAMs and many generations of microprocessors beyond 686 Mb. The companies are asking semiconductor makers to participate in the program, saying that a joint effort would be less expensive than individual R&D.