ETEL, a HEIDENHAIN company that supplies motion-control components and complete motion platforms, has introduced the METIS HP, a full air-bearing planar platform aimed at demanding step-and-scan semiconductor applications. The target uses include direct laser writing and high-resolution optical inspection systems.
ETEL says the new platform is intended to combine speed and stability with dynamic straightness and projected tool-point measurement. At its core is a multi-degree-of-freedom (mDoF) HEIDENHAIN encoder, which the company says maintains accuracy without thermal drift.
Trigger signal without an interferometer
The mDoF encoder architecture supports projected tool-point measurement. ETEL controllers can emulate a transistor-transistor logic (TTL) position signal for use as a trigger event, an approach the company presents as an alternative to a classical interferometer used as an advanced trigger generator. According to ETEL, the platform avoids the need for a mirror on the carriage and does not involve air lensing or air perturbation; it is also described as lower cost.
ETEL lists the METIS HP's performance as ±150 nm accuracy over the full XY stroke after mapping, ±150 nm dynamic straightness at speeds up to 1 m/s, and acceleration up to 20 m/s². The company says these capabilities reduce turnaround time and can increase throughput in step-and-scan applications.
ETEL is presenting the platform for semiconductor processes that involve writing or inspection with high-speed scanning. The listed target applications include direct laser writing, high-resolution optical inspection, inspection for advanced packaging and maskless lithography for large substrates.
Inspection and large-panel lithography
For high-end inspection in advanced packaging, rapid and precise focal-distance adjustment is required. The METIS HP includes a high-bandwidth 4-DoF module for fine control of the Z, tip, tilt and theta axes. ETEL positions the platform for these inspection tasks.
Stéphane Pellegrini, product manager at ETEL, said the METIS HP builds on the company's experience in high-precision platforms and provides the trajectory quality needed for advanced optical processes. He added that speed stability and dynamic straightness support consistent performance at high scanning velocities.
The platform supports panel sizes up to 600 mm × 600 mm. ETEL says this addresses growing demand for next-generation maskless lithography using large-area substrates.
- Application focus: step-and-scan semiconductor processes, direct laser writing and high-resolution optical inspection
- Encoder: multi-degree-of-freedom HEIDENHAIN encoder intended to avoid thermal drift
- Trigger approach: TTL position-signal emulation as an alternative to an interferometer-based trigger
- Motion specifications: ±150 nm mapped XY accuracy, ±150 nm dynamic straightness at up to 1 m/s, acceleration up to 20 m/s²
- Fine control: high-bandwidth 4-DoF module for Z, tip, tilt and theta axes
- Substrate size: panels up to 600 mm × 600 mm