In the rapidly growing advanced packaging market, about ten equipment suppliers are positioning themselves to deliver lithography systems. ASML is also positioning itself with an i-line scanner. Part 1 of an overview: the back-end lithography landscape.
ASML’s move to launch an upgraded i-line scanner for the back-end market this fall is interesting for several reasons. It’s the first time the lithography giant is seriously targeting this market. Why is it investing its scarce engineering resources in a mature technology? The chip packaging market is primarily known for its cost consciousness. Canon, Onto Innovation and Veeco have been doing good business there for many years, but until now, Veldhoven turned up its nose at it.
First and foremost, ASML is strategically positioning itself with the upcoming introduction of the Twinscan XT260 i-line scanner. During coffee after presenting the 2024 annual results, CEO Christoph Fouquet told Bits&Chips that the future is still wide open. The XT260 is intended to expose interposers – advanced circuit boards – at the end of the front-end, but whether the machine will subsequently appear in other parts of the back-end assembly is still uncertain.
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