Element Six increases volume manufacturing of synthetic diamond optical components

SPIE Photonics West 2013, USA: Element Six, a leader in synthetic diamond supermaterials and member of the De Beers Group of Companies, announced its Silicon Valley facility has expanded its high volume manufacturing capabilities of synthetic diamond optical windows, a critical component of Laser Produced Plasma (LLP) Extreme Ultraviolet (EUV) lithography systems.

Reaching a new milestone in Chemical Vapor Deposition (CVD) synthesis and processing, Element Six has increased its total production capacity of synthetic diamond wafers by 50 percent at its US location, further scaling the company's worldwide operations to deliver large volumes of optical windows to meet growing market demand.

"EUV lithography represents a major technological advancement for next-generation semiconductor manufacturing, enabling sub 22 nm(1xnm) technology nodes for both logic and memory devices," said Adrian Wilson , head of technologies at Element Six. "We believe Element Six's synthetic diamond optical windows are an accessible alternative to traditional optical materials, and the only commercially viable material to support LLP EUV lithography—reducing system downtime and improving wafer throughput."

Addressing system designers' most challenging and extreme specifications, Element Six grows large synthetic diamond windows (71-80mm in diameter) for high-power (20+kW) CO2 lasers, with larger diameters available for other optical applications. Given its unique properties, synthetic diamond is the only material to withstand the power levels necessary for high-throughput EUV processing, thereby increasing the productivity and cost-efficiency of the systems.

Additionally, Element Six develops the industry's flattest windows (PV <λ/20 @633nm) to ensure less wavefront distortion and optimal system efficiency.

Element Six's high-quality synthetic diamond optical windows also deliver very low defect levels to ensure system performance is not compromised. Overall, its patented CVD synthetic diamond offers the broadest optical transmission spectrum, and highest known thermal conductivity and resistance to thermal shock—critical properties for high-demanding applications such as EUV.

As manufacturers worldwide ramp up EUV lithography capabilities, Element Six's high-volume manufacturing facilities in Silicon Valley, Ascot in the UK, and Cuijk in the Netherlands, will ensure Element Six is able to meet customer requirements.