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Mask pattern generation systems use precision lasers or electron beams to "write" or "pattern" each layer of a semiconductor chip's design onto a piece of chrome-coated quartz glass (called the mask or photomask). The completed mask allows light to pass through the patterned areas, much like a photographic negative.
After a series of masks is completed, microlithography equipment, such as a stepper, projects light through each mask to transfer the layers of a chip's design onto the semiconductor wafer. As many as 30 masks are needed to build a device, with each new electronic design requiring a unique set of masks. |
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