What gives Photronics the technology edge to offer customers the best solutions at the cutting edge? To begin, lithographic simulation hardware and software is now being leveraged to provide views into areas previously labeled a 'black box' to maskmakers. With this information, Photronics is modeling the mask as it should be: a true optical element in the overall lithographic system. Future expectations are to model the effects of various mask technology strategies on the resulting imaging performance.

In addition, Photronics researchers have answered the challenge to develop new absorber materials for both binary and phase shift mask (PSM) applications. A Veeco ion beam deposition (IBD) tool was purchased and installed in the Allen, Texas facility. Now, with high-quality sputtering capability, mask absorbers for every known use can be sputtered by the Photronics Research Team. In addition, these films' optical qualities can be fully characterized using our recently-installed JA Woollam VUV-Vase ellipsometer. The variety of films is now limited only by our imaginations, and the turnaround time to realize a new film is much faster now that sputtering capability resides within Photronics.

The final key to Photronics taking ownership of all mask blank component development is the resist film. Chemically amplified resist (CAR) is now the mainstay of our advanced process lines, but continuous improvement efforts will drive CD uniformity and linearity improvements in both positive and negative optical and e-beam CAR. Currently, the CAR-coated blanks are available with shelf lives sufficient for the 130nm node, but as feature sizes and tolerances around them both decrease substantially, a coat-on-demand process will help wring out every nanometer of systematic error.

New products Photronics plans to offer include 157nm binary, PSM, and EUV masks for the semiconductor industry and a variety of new mask types for emerging markets. Among these new mask types are uniform, chirped and exotic phase masks for Fiber Bragg gratings used in optical networking and sensing, grayscale masks for a variety of applications including photonics and MEMS, and masks for a number of nano-imprint approaches. Each of these products can be drawn from one of our four current Subwavelength Reticle Solutions (SRS) product lines with some new innovations currently underway. Once the Allen, Texas Research Group produces a proof-of-concept prototype, the regional NanoTechnology Lines (NTLs) produce multiple samples until a baseline yield capability is reached. As volume ramps, the process transfers into full manufacturing and continuous improvement procedures take over. Ultimately, research programs are selected and undertaken based on customer priorities and roadmap projections so that what is worked on goes quickly to producing better quality masks. Photronics' goal is to pursue and secure the highest possible technology.

Even though future mask technologies (157nm, EUV, grayscale, etc.) look ominously difficult, Photronics will rely on its proven technology fanout process and its capable and flexible workforce to assimilate these new processes to perform to the same exacting standards as those which are currently in place.

Going into the future, Photronics will continue to rise to the challenges posed by lithographers worldwide in their efforts to defy the laws of physics and to produce devices and products such as the world has never seen.