The XLA 100 is Cymer’s new, ultra line-narrowed, high power argon fluoride (ArF) production light source for next generation lithography tools. Featuring a dual chamber design called MOPA (Master Oscillator Power Amplifier), the XLA 100 provides outstanding optical and power performance. MOPA enables the XLA 100 to produce 40 W of output power—two times the output power of Cymer’s earlier, single chamber-based ArF models.

By utilizing the ArF (193 nm) exposure wavelength, the XLA 100 enables chip design rules to shrink, which leads to faster processing speeds and boosts memory capacity per chip. With an ultra line-narrowed spectral bandwidth of ≤ 0.25 pm FWHM, the tightest spectral bandwidth performance of any DUV production light source, the XLA 100 provides the light that enables high contrast imaging for lithography tools with an numerical aperture (NA) up to 0.9.

Consider these benefits of the XLA 100:

• MOPA operation increases consumable module lifetimes and lowers total consumable costs by approximately 50 percent.
• Twice the pulse energy and fewer pulses per exposure window ensures that lithographers experience increased cost savings.
• Superior pulse energy and wavelength control technology enable tight control of exposure dose and wavelength stability.
• The common platform reduces costs, simplifies servicing, and provides for the "mix-and-match" of KrF and ArF light sources within the same manufacturing environment.