Germany funds 32 nm, mask lithography project for next generation chip production

(Nanowerk News) In a joint R&D project, the Advanced Mask Technology Center (AMTC, Dresden), semiconductor equipment provider Vistec (Weilburg and Jena, Germany) and the German metrology institute PTB (Braunschweig) will develop technologies and measurement processes for next-generation chip production.
The project CDuR32 (Critical Dimensions and Registration for 32nm Mask Lithography) is funded in part by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research. Of the total budget of €16.7 million (about $24.3 million), the government contributes €7.9.
The project, planned for a duration of 2 ½ years, aims at developing mask technologies for the 32nm memory chip and the 22nm microprocessor generations for production in Dresden over the coming years. The AMTC is a joint venture of microprocessor vendor AMD, memory chip maker Qimonda and Toppan Photomasks, Inc. The project is in line with the goals of the EU's ENIAC research support program.
Within the program, AMTC will analyze and develop the basic principles of manufacturing 32/22nm photomasks. Vistec Semiconductor Systems will develop the next-generation measurement system, called LSM IPRO5, to meet the requirements of qualifying mask structures. The PTB contributes its measurement capabilities and new mathematical analysis methods to solve mask quality issues.
Source: Vistec (press release)