Tokyo, Japan, June 12, 2008 -- Toppan Printing Co., Ltd. (Toppan Printing; Head office: Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo; President & CEO: Naoki Adachi) became the first photomask manufacturer in the world to establish a 32nm (nanometer, or billionth of a meter) generation photomask manufacturing process, and mass production will start in full scale in June 2008.

This new manufacturing process is capable of shortening the manufacturing period and slowing price increases that are the challenges of photomasks today, and contributing to the streamlining of semiconductor development efficiency. The new photomasks are already being shipped as needed to semiconductor manufacturers leading in 32nm development, and are receiving high evaluation.


Development Background

-For further performance improvement of mobile devices and digital devices such as mobile phones, development of technology is progressing in the semiconductor industry to enable scale-down to 45nm and on to 32nm. Following such scale-down, various new technologies such as immersion lithography (*1) and double patterning (*2) are being implemented in semiconductor manufacturing, making it even more complex. Therefore, technology needs required in photomasks which are the original plate for semiconductor circuits are also becoming increasingly intensive.

-Of those needs, special emphasis is placed on dimension accuracy of photomasks. But achieving the dimension accuracy required for the 32nm generation has been difficult using the existing technology, and a business solution (breakthrough) by development of a new technology had been strongly desired. In addition, with the increasingly sophisticated photomask technology needs and the increasing manufacturing difficulty, prolonged manufacturing periods and escalating prices of photomasks are becoming additional issues.

-Now, Toppan Printing developed a new 32nm-capable photomask manufacturing process based on thorough review starting from substrate materials, and will now offer a new solution as the first photomask manufacturer in the world to start mass production. Toppan Printing will also continue development for a more stable photomask supply.

Overview of the New Photomask Manufacturing Process

-For 32nm-capable photomasks, Toppan Printing has adopted the new photomask blanks (substrate material for photomasks) utilizing substantially improved materials and structures, while concurrently developing a photomask manufacturing process that exerts the features of the new material at their maximum. Specifically, Toppan Printing developed 2 types, the "half-tone type" and "the binary type," that had been used in conventional leading-edge semiconductor manufacturing processes for fine-pattern resolution, and succeeded in significantly improving dimension accuracy in both types compared to conventional products.

-In addition, photomask materials, photomask manufacturing process and semiconductor lithography technology together promoted semiconductor manufacturing process development, and succeeded in enabling a "binary type" fine pattern resolution that conventionally could only be achieved by the "half-tone type" in the past.

-The mask manufacturing process of the "binary type" is simple compared to the "half-tone type," and by replacing the "half-tone type" process with the "binary type" process, a new solution to shorten manufacturing cycle time and slow price increases can now be offered to customers.

-The advantage of the "binary type" has been proved at semiconductor manufacturers through wafer simulation and wafer patterning evaluation, achieving performances that exceed that of the "halftone type."


"Our collaboration with customers, material suppliers and tool manufacturers has produced a new 32nm photomask solution that would have been difficult to develop one our own," said Toshiro Masuda, head of Semiconductor Solutions Division and managing director of Toppan Printing. "We will continue to reinforce our alliances with these partners to offer new solutions to our global customers and to streamline and advance semiconductor technology development."


About Toppan Printing’s Photomask Business
Toppan Printing is the world’s premier photomask manufacturer. The company supports the global semiconductor industry, from the initial launch of the semiconductor manufacturing process through to commercial production, by providing state-of-the-art photomask technology. Toppan is the only global photomask manufacturer, providing the highest quality products in a timely manner to customers across Japan, the United States, Europe and Asia. For more information, visit www.toppan.co.jp.

Notes:
(*1) Immersion lithography is the resolution enhancement technology (RET) using refractive index of a liquid, such as ultra pure water, between the lens of scanner and the silicon wafer.

(*2) Double patterning is the exposure technology of separating one high-density pattern into two low-density patterns. By exposing patterns twice on one wafer with separated two low-density patterns, high-density patterns can be made.

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