Carl Zeiss SMT
 | |
| GmbH (Germany) | |
| Industry | Semiconductor manufacturing technology |
| Founded | 2001 |
| Headquarters | Oberkochen, Germany |
Key people |
|
| Revenue | € 1.047 billion (2013/14)[1] |
| Website | www.zeiss.com/smt |
Carl Zeiss SMT GmbH (Semiconductor Manufacturing Technology) and its subsidiaries Carl Zeiss Laser Optics GmbH and Carl Zeiss SMS GmbH (Semiconductor Metrology Systems) comprise the Semiconductor Manufacturing Technology business group of ZEISS. The companies develop and produce equipment for the production of microchips and are fully owned by ZEISS.
The headquarters of the group are located in Oberkochen, Germany, with additional sites in the German cities Jena, Wetzlar, Rossdorf and in Karmiel, Israel. As of September 2013, the total workforce in the five sites is approximately 2,900.[2] About 30 percent of all employees work in the area of Research and Development [2]
Business activity and corporate structure
The Semiconductor Manufacturing Technology business group consists of three product areas:
- Lithography Optics: This consists of illumination and projection optics, which make up the core of a wafer scanner. The development and manufacture of projection optics and the development of the illumination systems take place at the Oberkochen site, while the production of most types of illumination system is located in Wetzlar. The headquarters of the business group are located in Oberkochen, Germany.
- Optical Systems: In order to transfer the required structures to the wafers, a powerful light source is needed to illuminate the photomask. In addition to several other portfolio parts, the Laser Optics division is involved in the production of various optical components for the lasers that are used as light sources for lithographic systems.
- Photomask Systems: This area develops and manufactures systems that analyze and repair defects on photomasks and measure and optimize defined mask properties. The photomask contains all the structural information that will be imaged on the wafers using light. Producing a functioning microchip requires the transfer of information from about 20-40 individual masks
History
In 1968, ZEISS supplies the optics for a circuit printer for the first time.[3] About nine years later, the world's first predecessor to a modern wafer stepper, produced by David Mann (later GCA), is equipped with optics from Carl Zeiss.[4] In 1983, the first lithography optics from ZEISS are used in a wafer stepper from Philips. Just under ten years later, ZEISS and Philips carve-out company ASML enter into a strategic partnership.[5] The Semiconductor Manufacturing Technology business group is established by ZEISS in 1994. Other companies Carl Zeiss SMT GmbH, Carl Zeiss Laser Optics GmbH and Carl Zeiss SMS GmbH follow in 2001. The construction of the Semiconductor Manufacturing Technology plant of ZEISS in Oberkochen commences during the same year, and reaches completion in 2006.[6] In 2010, the semiconductor area achieves revenues of over a billion euros for the first time.[7]
External links
Further reading
Carl Zeiss is top supplier of critical subsystems, in: WaferNEWS, July 7/2003, pp. 4
References
- ↑ "Facts & Figures". Carl Zeiss AG. Retrieved 2014-12-19.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 "Facts and Figures". Carl Zeiss SMT GmbH. Retrieved 2014-07-17.
- ↑ Hennings, K. (1967). "Technologische Probleme der Mikrominiaturisierung (Planartechnik)". technica (in German): 2337–2341.
- ↑ Rai-Choudhury, Prosenjit (Ed.) (1997). Handbook of Microlithography, Micromachining, and Microfabrication. Volume 1: Microlithography. SPIE Press. p. 83.
- ↑ Rupp, Wolfgang. "Partnership ASML". Retrieved 2014-04-04.
- ↑ Paetrow, Stephan (2011). Birds of a Feather. 20 Years of Reunification at Carl Zeiss. Hanseatischer Merkur, Hamburg. p. 111.
- ↑ "Facts & Figures". Carl Zeiss SMT GmbH. Retrieved 2014-07-14.