Orders Begin in July for Digital Lithography System DSP-100 | News

TOKYO – Nikon Corporation will begin accepting orders for the Digital Lithography System DSP-100, designed for back-end semiconductor manufacturing processes, starting in July 2025. This system is specifically developed for advanced packaging applications, supporting large substrates up to 600mm square and delivering high resolution of 1.0μm*1 (L/S*2).

  • *11 micrometer (μm) is one-millionth of a meter (one-thousandth of a millimeter).
  • *2Abbreviation for Line and Space. Refers to the width of circuit lines and the spacing between adjacent patterns.

Release Overview

Product name Digital Lithography System DSP-100
Sales launch July 2025
Scheduled release Fiscal Year 2026

Development Background

With the widespread adoption of high-speed communication technologies such as the internet of things (IoT) and generative artificial intelligence (AI), the volume of information processing is rapidly increasing, driving demand for high-performance semiconductor devices, especially in data centers. In addition, as advanced packaging technologies such as chiplets – that connect multiple chips side by side – continue to progress, circuit patterns are becoming increasingly fine, and package sizes are growing. In response to these challenges, demand for panel-level packaging (PLP) using resin or glass substrates is expected to see continued growth.

Performance Overview

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Resolution 1.0μm L/S
Light Source Equivalent to i-line
Overlay Accuracy ≦±0.3μm
Supported Substrate Size*3 Square substrate: up to 600x600mm
Throughput 50 panels/hour (with 510x515mm substrate)
  • *3Compatible with wafers and even larger substrates

Key Benefits

Combining High Resolution and Productivity

The DSP-100 integrates Nikon’s high-resolution semiconductor lithography technology with the multi-lens technology*4 from its flat panel display (FPD) lithography systems. It delivers high resolution (1.0μm L/S), excellent overlay accuracy (≦±0.3μm), and high productivity – up to 50 panels per hour using 510×515mm substrates.

  • *4Nikon’s proprietary technology exposes multiple projection lenses in an array and precisely controls them to produce the same effect as if a single giant lens were used. This enables patterning over a wider area with a single exposure.

Maskless Operation for Large Advanced Packaging Applications

Unlike conventional lithography systems that require photomasks with circuit patterns, the DSP-100 uses a spatial light modulator (SLM) to directly project circuit patterns onto substrates without the need for a photomask. This approach eliminates the size constraints of photomasks, provides greater flexibility for large, advanced packaging applications, and streamlines the development process – reducing both cost and lead time for customers.

Support for Large Square Substrates – 9x Productivity Compared to Wafers

The DSP-100 supports exposure on large square substrates up to 600×600mm. For 100mm-square large packages, productivity per substrate is nine times higher than when utilizing 300mm wafers. Additionally, the system offers high-precision correction for substrate warpage and deformation, reducing production costs with maskless technology and minimizing maintenance costs with solid state light sources, supporting greener manufacturing.

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