Ultralightweight, Low Expansion, Fiber Reinforced SiC Composite Lithography Stage

摘要

During our Phase I SBIR, SSG has integrated a number of advanced Silicon Carbide (SiC) materials to produce an innovative, lightweight, fracture tough, dimensionally stable, composite mask platen for use on an SVGL Micralign instrument. The fiber reinforced SiC material used has several critical advantages when compared to other competing materials: significantly improved lightweighting (SiC provides a specific stiffness which can be 8x better than aluminum, 8x better than Zerodur, and 2x better than carbon fiber/graphite epoxy based composite materials); excellent long term dimensional stability (through low CTE and no moisture absorption); superior damping (20x better than aluminum 2x better than carbon fiber/graphite epoxy). All of these advantages combine to yield an optimal material for high speed translation stage applications. During our Phase I SBIR SSG has designed, modeled, fabricated, and tested an ultralightweight composite SiC reticle platen which is currently being integrated onto an SVGL Micralign instrument. The platen is ultralightweight (4 lbs with overall dimensions of approx. 18 inch x 10 inch x 1.5 inch) and stiff (first resonant mode at 770 Hz), and meets all of SVG's operational and functional requirements. SVGL has supported our Phase I effort by provided co-funding during Phase I, this support is intended to continue through Phase II.