Corning Unveils EXTREME ULE® Glass to Enable Next Generation of Microchips
Corning® EXTREME ULE® Glass will help semiconductor industry leaders mass-produce leading-edge chips vital to advanced artificial intelligence technologies.
Corning Incorporated (NYSE:GLW), one of the world's leading innovators in glass, ceramic, and materials science, today unveiled Corning® EXTREME ULE® Glass, a next-generation material that will support chip manufacturers in meeting the rapidly growing demand for advanced and intelligent technologies. The new material will help chipmakers improve photomasks – the stencils for chip design – which are critical for the mass production of today's most advanced and cost-efficient microchips.
Corning designed EXTREME ULE® Glass to withstand the highest intensity extreme ultraviolet (EUV) lithography, including high numerical aperture (High NA) EUV, which is rapidly becoming an industry standard. EUV lithography allows manufacturers to use the most advanced photomasks to pattern and print the smallest, most complex chip designs. This process requires extreme thermal stability and a uniform glass material to help ensure consistent manufacturing performance.
"As the demands of integrated chipmaking grow with the rise of artificial intelligence, glass innovation is more important than ever," said Claude Echahamian, Vice President & General Manager, Corning Advanced Optics. "EXTREME ULE® Glass will expand Corning's vital role in the ongoing pursuit of Moore's Law by helping enable higher-powered EUV manufacturing as well as higher yield."
The thermal expansion qualities of EXTREME ULE® Glass help deliver remarkable consistency and performance across all photomasks. In addition, the glass's exceptional flatness and uniformity significantly reduces photomask waviness, helping limit unwanted variability for manufacturers and allowing for the application of advanced coatings.
EXTREME ULE® Glass marks an evolution in Corning's portfolio of ULE® (Ultra-Low Expansion) glass, a titania-silicate glass material with near-zero expansion characteristics long used for EUV photomasks and lithography mirrors. By using its innovative glass-forming process, Corning expects to reduce both the energy used and waste generated in production, helping to contribute to Corning's commitment to sustainability.
Corning will present EXTREME ULE® Glass and other innovative semiconductor materials at SPIE Photomask Technology + Extreme Ultraviolet Lithography conference in Monterey, California, on Sept. 30 - Oct. 3.
For more information on Corning's latest semiconductor manufacturing innovations, visit www.corning.com/advanced-optics.
About Corning Incorporated
Corning (www.corning.com) is one of the world's leading innovators in materials science, with a 170-year track record of life-changing inventions. Corning applies its unparalleled expertise in glass science, ceramic science, and optical physics along with its deep manufacturing and engineering capabilities to develop category-defining products that transform industries and enhance people's lives. Corning succeeds through sustained investment in RD&E, a unique combination of material and process innovation, and deep, trust-based relationships with customers who are global leaders in their industries. Corning's capabilities are versatile and synergistic, which allows the company to evolve to meet changing market needs, while also helping our customers capture new opportunities in dynamic industries. Today, Corning's markets include optical communications, mobile consumer electronics, display, automotive, solar, semiconductors, and life sciences.
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