Skip to Main Content
For over twenty years, the excimer laser industry has relied on our lithography gases. They were used in the development of the earliest lasers for lithography and are now the most widely used excimer gases for DUV photolithography in the semiconductor industry.
Lasers in thousands of the world's wafer steppers and scanners use our state-of-the-art lithography gases and gas mixtures.
Our customers include all of the major global laser, stepper, and scanner manufacturers as well as many of the world's largest semiconductor manufacturers. They know they can rely on the highest quality laser gases coupled with in-depth knowledge of critical gas technologies.
Our customers also benefit from the development of new technologies and innovations driven by our Centers of Excellence such as the one for lithography gases in Alpha, New Jersey. Key areas of expertise include:
-
Full spectrum - We lead the market for the manufacture and purification of all raw materials necessary for photolithography.
-
Cylinder expertise - We have special expertise, which is based on our proprietary technologies for the handling and treatment of cylinders containing both inert and halogen (F2) gases.
-
Mixing capabilities - We have pioneered highly specific mixing technologies to create multi-component mixtures that are completely homogeneous.
-
Analytical technologies - We have developed proprietary analytical technologies that surpass industry norms; all SPECTRA lithography cylinders are provided with a Certificate of Analysis.
Rare gas and halogen gas mixtures for excimer lasers
Linde fully supports the gas mixtures required for the entire spectrum of excimer lasers used in electronics manufacturing.
- XeCl at 308 nm
- KrF at 248 nm
- ArF at 193 nm
As well, Linde supports many of the excimer lasers used in development and non-electronics applications.
Ultra-high purity carbon dioxide for immersion lithography
Immersion lithography has greatly extended the feature shrink possible with 193nm DUV steppers. Linde ultra-high purity (UHP) CO2 enables this process by displacing some of the nitrogen and other gases in the immersion water layer that may cause defect-causing bubbles. Linde UHP CO2 is available in bulk in most geographies with optional on-site purification.
Bulk hydrogen solutions for extreme ultra-violet lithography
Extreme ultra-violet (EUV) lithography is the next-generation technology that allows the leading-edge semiconductor designs to continue advancing. Large amounts of hydrogen are required to continuously clean the commercial light sources, which use liquid tin as a lasing medium. Linde provides a full portfolio of bulk and on-site H2 solutions for its customers growing requirements.