Semiconductor Industry

Precision optical components: Empowering semiconductor manufacturing and fortifying the core foundation of the chip industry 

As a core pillar of the digital economy, the development level of the semiconductor industry directly determines the competitiveness of high-end manufacturing. Precision optical components, as the "core cornerstone" of the entire semiconductor manufacturing process, run through every key link, including lithography, metrology, inspection, and packaging. From the "engraving" of nanoscale circuit patterns to the precise identification of chip defects and the strict control of packaging quality, precision optical components, with their core characteristics of ultra-high precision, ultra-low loss, and high stability, break through the technical bottlenecks in semiconductor manufacturing, assist the chip process to iterate towards more advanced nodes, and provide core optical support for the high-quality development of the semiconductor industry. 

UltraOpto is deeply rooted in the field of precision optics. Relying on top-notch optical design, precise processing, and advanced coating technology, it precisely meets the extremely strict demands of the semiconductor industry. It has developed a series of high-precision optical components covering the entire manufacturing process of semiconductors, including core categories such as photolithography illumination system components, measurement and detection lenses, filters, mirrors, and optical windows. With its professional optical capabilities, it empowers the upgrade of semiconductor equipment, assisting the domestic semiconductor industry in breaking through technical barriers and achieving self-reliance and control.

Core application scenarios: 

Spanning the entire semiconductor manufacturing process, ensuring chip yield. Semiconductor manufacturing is a precise "carving" process at the nanoscale. From wafer processing to chip packaging, each step imposes extremely demanding requirements on the performance of optical components - they must meet atomic-level surface shape accuracy, extremely high light field uniformity, and also possess strong environmental adaptability and anti-laser damage capability, directly determining the manufacturing precision of the chip and the product yield. UltraOpto accurately perceives the pain points of the industry and creates optical components that are deeply adapted to all scenarios in semiconductor manufacturing, providing reliable optical support for each step. 

1.Lithography stage:

The "core engine" of chip manufacturing, unlocking nanometer-level precision 

Lithography is the core process in semiconductor manufacturing and is hailed as the "soul of chip manufacturing". Its essence lies in precisely "printing" circuit patterns onto the surface of silicon wafers. The advancement of the manufacturing process node is directly determined by the precision of the lithography system, and precision optical components are the core components of the lithography system, which determine the uniformity of the light field, imaging resolution, and overlay accuracy. 

For lithography applications, UltraOpto has launched high-precision optical components suitable for different wavelength bands such as ultraviolet (UV) and deep ultraviolet (DUV), including projection objective lenses, illumination system homogenizing components, filters and mirrors. Made from high-purity fused silica substrates and featuring advanced low-loss anti-reflection coatings and laser damage-resistant coatings, these components ensure a light field uniformity of over 99%, effectively suppressing stray light interference, reducing linewidth variation and pattern defects. The projection objective lenses have extremely low wavefront error and excellent aberration correction capabilities, enabling nanometer-level resolution and supporting 7nm and below advanced processes. The homogenizing components in the illumination system, such as compound lens arrays, can shape and homogenize the light beam, providing a stable illumination field for the mask, facilitating precise exposure in lithography equipment and driving the advancement of chip manufacturing to smaller nodes. 

2. Measurement and inspection stage: 

The "gatekeeper" of chip yield, accurately identifying nanoscale defects .Throughout the entire semiconductor manufacturing process, metrology and inspection run through both the front-end fabrication and back-end packaging. The core requirements are to precisely identify minute defects on the wafer surface, quantify the critical dimensions of circuits and the thickness of films. Any defect larger than 20 nanometers can lead to a sharp drop in the yield of high-end chips, which demands that optical components possess high resolution, high contrast and ultra-low noise characteristics. 

UltraOpto has developed high-precision measurement lenses, narrowband pass filters, and infrared detection optical components for measurement and inspection scenarios. The high-precision measurement lenses feature a high numerical aperture design and an optimized modulation transfer function (MTF) curve, enabling nanometer-scale size measurement and overlay accuracy control, with alignment accuracy reaching ±1 nanometer, meeting the precise alignment requirements of multi-layer circuits. The narrowband pass filters can precisely extract detection signals of specific wavelengths, with a cut-off depth of over OD6, effectively suppressing background light interference and enhancing the detection signal-to-noise ratio. The infrared optical components take advantage of the semi-transparent property of silicon material in the near-infrared band to achieve non-destructive testing of internal defects in chip packaging, accurately identifying issues such as gold wire bonding and solder joint voids, helping enterprises improve chip yield and reduce production costs. 

3. Packaging stage: The "Guardian" of chip reliability, ensuring terminal performance 

Encapsulation is the final key process in semiconductor manufacturing. Its core functions are to protect the chip and achieve electrical interconnection. At the same time, strict inspections of the appearance and internal structure of the encapsulation body are required to ensure the long-term reliability of the chip. This imposes complex requirements on the large depth of field, high resolution and environmental adaptability of optical components. 

For packaging scenarios, UltraOpto has launched high-resolution packaging inspection lenses, mirrors and optical window plates. The high-resolution lenses feature a large depth of field, enabling clear capture of the three-dimensional structure on the surface of the packaging body and precise identification of surface scratches, damages and other defects. The optical window plates are made of highly wear-resistant and corrosion-resistant materials and are coated with hydrophobic and oleophobic films to reduce the adhesion of chemical vapors in semiconductor production lines, protect internal optical components and ensure the long-term stable operation of the inspection equipment. The mirrors precisely redirect the light path, ensuring the stable transmission of detection signals and helping the packaging process achieve efficient and accurate quality control, ensuring the stable operation of chips in terminal devices. 

4. Semiconductor equipment support: 

The "core support" of core components, empowering equipment upgrades.The performance upgrade of semiconductor manufacturing equipment (such as lithography machines, metrology instruments, and inspection devices) cannot be achieved without the support of precision optical components. From the alignment system of laser interferometers to the imaging system of wafer inspection equipment, every core subsystem relies on the empowerment of optical components, which are required to have extremely low wavefront distortion and excellent environmental stability. 

UltraOpto, in response to the specific requirements of semiconductor equipment, designs customized optical components, including laser transmission lenses, polarization optical elements, and optical coupling components. The laser transmission lenses have a high laser damage threshold, capable of withstanding long-term irradiation from high-power lasers and minimizing energy loss. The polarization optical elements precisely control the polarization direction of light, suppress the interference of metal layer reflections, and enhance the contrast of detection. The optical coupling components achieve efficient connection between optical signals and equipment, adapting to the structural designs of various semiconductor devices, thereby facilitating the upgrade of semiconductor equipment towards higher precision, speed, and stability, and providing more reliable equipment support for semiconductor manufacturing. 

Core Advantage: 

Breaking through the technical barriers of semiconductor technology with optical expertise 

The technological iteration in the semiconductor industry has imposed far more stringent requirements on the precision, performance and stability of precision optical components than in other fields. UltraOpto, with its all-round core advantages, has created high-end optical components that meet the standards of the semiconductor industry, becoming a reliable partner for semiconductor equipment manufacturers and chip-making enterprises, and helping the domestic semiconductor industry break through technological bottlenecks. 

Ultra-high precision, suitable for nanometer-level manufacturing: 

Through full-process control with high-end inspection equipment such as the Zygo MST 12 interferometer, the surface shape accuracy can reach λ/50 PV, and the surface roughness is controlled below 0.1nm RMS, meeting the requirements of semiconductor nanometer-level processing and inspection, and ensuring the accuracy of imaging and measurement. 

Low loss and high stability ensure reliable manufacturing processes: 

High-purity base materials with low impurities are selected, combined with advanced low-loss coating and anti-laser damage processes. This minimizes optical signal transmission loss while providing excellent thermal and mechanical stability. It can operate stably for long periods in extreme semiconductor manufacturing environments such as high and low temperatures, high vacuum, and strong radiation, effectively suppressing performance degradation. 

Full-spectrum compatibility, covering the entire manufacturing process: 

The product can be adapted to all the wavelength bands required for semiconductor manufacturing, including ultraviolet, deep ultraviolet, and infrared, and is applicable to all scenarios throughout the manufacturing process, such as lithography, metrology, inspection, and packaging. It meets the individualized demands of different process nodes and equipment, enabling comprehensive empowerment across all scenarios. 

Outstanding customization capabilities, facilitating technological breakthroughs: 

Relying on a professional optical R&D team, we can customize optical components with special wavelengths, sizes, and performance based on the customer's process nodes, equipment parameters, and performance requirements. This includes full-dimensional customization covering film design, substrate selection, and structural optimization, helping customers overcome technological bottlenecks and meet the demands of advanced process development. 

Scientific research-level quality control to ensure product consistency: 

Establish a full-process quality control system in line with semiconductor industry standards, equipped with a complete set of high-end optical inspection equipment, to conduct all-round inspections on the film performance, surface quality, transmittance, wavefront error, etc. of components, ensuring the performance consistency of each batch of products, meeting the large-scale production needs of the semiconductor industry, and safeguarding the stability of chip yield. 

Optical Empowerment: 

Building a New Future for the Semiconductor Industry Together .As semiconductor technology advances towards more advanced processes and higher integration, the core value of precision optical components will continue to stand out, becoming a key support for the upgrading of the semiconductor industry and achieving self-reliance and control. Currently, China's semiconductor industry is entering a period of development opportunities. UltraOpto has always taken technological innovation as its core, delved deeply into the field of precision optics, focused on the pain points of the semiconductor industry, continuously broken through the bottlenecks of optical technology, optimized product performance and customization capabilities, and created more competitive optical component solutions. 

From the nanoscale "carving" in the lithography process to the precise "quality control" in the inspection stage, and then to the reliable "protection" in the packaging phase, UltraOpto, with its professional optical capabilities, empowers the entire semiconductor manufacturing process, facilitating the upgrade of semiconductor equipment and the improvement of chip yield. Working hand in hand with partners in the semiconductor industry, it breaks through technological barriers, jointly building a new future for the domestic semiconductor industry and laying a solid core foundation for the high-quality development of the digital economy.