Carl Zeiss Gains Ground in Mainland China

SMIC, the largest and most advanced foundry in Mainland China, placed an order with Carl Zeiss for a tool bundle for qualification, repair and metrology of photomasks.

SHANGHAI--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The Semiconductor Manufacturing International Corporation (SMIC), headquartered in Shanghai, China, have purchased multiple systems for photomask verification, repair and metrology from Carl Zeiss Semiconductor Metrology Systems (SMS) Division (www.zeiss.com/sms), a leading supplier of both photomask metrology and manufacturing equipment. SMIC will apply the tools as economic solutions for their mask services.

“This step is strategically very important for Carl Zeiss SMS as the semiconductor market in China is still on an emerging path.”

"This step is strategically very important for Carl Zeiss SMS as the semiconductor market in China is still on an emerging path." states Dr. Oliver Kienzle, CEO of Carl Zeiss SMS GmbH.

SMIC purchased an AIMS™ system for qualifying their photomasks for the advanced node and beyond. To repair the detected defects SMIC will use the ZEISS MeRiT® MG system, which allows high end mask repair based on the state-of-the-art e-beam mask repair platform. New to the SMIC production line will be the metrology tool PROVE®, which will be applied for high performance image placement measurements.

SMIC is one of the leading semiconductor foundries worldwide, providing integrated circuit (IC) foundry and technology services at 0.35-micron to 40-nanometer.

www.zeiss.com/sms

Carl Zeiss Semiconductor Manufacturing Technology

The Semiconductor Manufacturing Technology business group includes the Laser Optics and Semiconductor Metrology Systems business units. With a broad portfolio of products and globally leading know-how in the areas of lithography and optical modules, the business group covers various key processes in microchip production: as a developer and manufacturer of lithography optics, for example, Semiconductor Manufacturing Technology is a technology and market leader in this sector of the semiconductor industry. The portfolio of Laser Optics includes optical components for lithography lasers and subsystems for wafer inspection systems. With its inspection, repair and metrology systems, Semiconductor Metrology Systems focuses on the photomask, one of the core components of chip fabrication. In fiscal year 2011/12 the business group generated revenue of around 967 billion euros with a workforce of about 2,600 people. The business group is headquartered in Oberkochen, Germany.

www.zeiss.com/smt