E-SOL, the extreme ultraviolet (EUV) solution subsidiary of FST, is developing a ‘lite’ version of its EUV pellicle inspection equipment.
The model will be smaller with a lower price tag compared to EPTR, which the company completed development during the fourth quarter last year, the company said.
EUV pellicles are used during the EUV process in wafer fabrication to protect the photomask from dust.
As EUV has a shorter wavelength compared to ArF it is more vulnerable to loss of light. For this reason, pellicles need to have a transmittance of over 90% to prevent further light loss.
However, not all semiconductor companies are using EUV pellicles as the technology is just not there yet and there is a lack of accessory equipment. Equipment such as EPTR also remains expensive.
E-SOL’s EPTR uses EUV waves to directly test the transmittance of the pellicle.
The equipment is already being used by a customer, according to E-SOL.
E-SOL was founded in 2018 by Kim Byung-gook, was previously worked at Samsung’s semiconductor business. It is a subsidiary of pellicle maker FST and also offers inspection kits for EUV masks and evaluation equipment for EUV photoresists.