Osram Selects SUSS Photolithography Solution for Manufacturing of HB-LEDs
SUSS MicroTec Press ReleaseFlashlightNews.org - 10/11/2006
SUSS' LithoFab200s are used by Osram Semiconductor to produce high brightness LEDs
SUSS' LithoFab200
MUNICH, De. - SUSS MicroTec (FWB:SMH)(GER:SMH) continues to prove its dedication to the advancement of the Opto-Semiconductor market. In both the second and third quarter of 2006 Osram Opto Semiconductors, one of the leading suppliers of innovative lighting solutions, placed additional follow-on orders for SUSS LithoFab200 Clusters, which are specifically used in volume production for the manufacturing of High Brightness / High Power Light Emitting Diodes (LED).
The SUSS LithoFab200 cluster system consists of coat, bake, align, expose and develop cells and has been selected for its superior ability to safely handle fragile substrates as well as for its high productivity and for its high yield at lowest possible cycle times. A new concept of the exposure cell based on the successful MA200Compact Mask Aligner further optimizes alignment accuracy, thereby widening the process window for a variety of applications. The novel SUSS DirectAlign option allows for an alignment accuracy down to 0.5 micron (3 sigma), the highest performance available for a mask aligner today.
The HB-LED is often regarded as the first truly innovative type of lamp invented over the past three decades. In recent years HB-LEDs have entered into many consumer products such as televisions, PC displays, digital cameras, cell phones, automobiles and traffic lights, while remarkable progress in LED efficiency, lifetime and total lumen output has opened up the possibility of using LEDs as sources of general lighting. According to Strategies Unlimited, a California market research company specialized in watching the optoelectronics industry, the general illumination market is expected to become one of the biggest potential markets for HB-LEDs in the years to come.
Gerhard Maihöfner, Vice President Osram Opto Semiconductors: “We are pleased to be expanding our relationship with SUSS MicroTec. The new generations of advanced High Brightness LEDs are sold in a highly competitive market environment, and we therefore demand the best possible quality, precision and cost of ownership from our production equipment. Our work with the LithoFab200 System is a vital part of our continuing efforts to provide our customers with cutting edge LED solutions. In order to meet the aggressive schedules for cost control in all aspects of the LED manufacturing process we have to rely on suppliers with trusted manufacturing capacity and performance records in the field of production. We use SUSS MicroTec equipment in production for several applications and we respect SUSS’ capability and depth of know-how in the field.”
“Osram Opto Semiconductor’s success in the field of high brightness, high power LED’s is highly regarded in the industry”, says Rolf Wolf, managing director of SUSS MicroTec Lithography Division. “We are committed to support Osram with our LithoFab200, a cluster which enables the streamlining of the LED production process by automating and integrating all photolithography process steps, namely coat, bake, expose and develop, in one modular cluster system. With its production proven equipment design the LithoFab200 enables exceptional process scalability and fast time-to-market for new device designs, while reducing cycle times and excess wafer inventory.”
About SUSS MicroTec
SUSS MicroTec is a leading supplier of production, process and test technology for the semiconductor industry. SUSS maintains its leadership position with over 7,000 systems installed worldwide. SUSS products include coating developing systems, 1X full-field lithography (1XFFL) systems, substrate bonders, flip-chip bonders and probe systems. Headquartered in Munich, Germany, SUSS has 5 international manufacturing sites and provides support from sales and service centers in North America, Europe, Asia and Japan.
For more information, please visit http://www.suss.com.
About OSRAM Opto Semiconductor
OSRAM Opto Semiconductors GmbH is the world's second largest manufacturer of opto-semiconductors for the lighting, sensor and visualization sectors. The company employs more than 3,500 people at its corporate headquarters in Regensburg, Germany and at its development and manufacturing sites in San José, California and Penang, Malaysia. The company produces opto-semiconductors for the lighting, sensor and visualization sectors. Perhaps best known are the light emitting diodes (LED) – tiny components, only a few millimeters in length, that convert electrical energy directly into light. Their color is determined by the semiconductor material used. Important advantages of LED technology include low power consumption, low thermal output, small dimensions and extremely long service life.