The DSP-110, Nikon's next digital lithography system for semiconductor advanced packaging, is scheduled for release in April 2027, the Tokyo-based company says. It patterns circuits without photomasks, and the notable choice is a faster tool at a coarser line width than the DSP-100 it follows.
Specifications published by Nikon put the DSP-110 at 1.5 micrometer line and space resolution, overlay accuracy of 0.3 micrometer or better, and throughput of 72 panels per hour on 510 by 515 millimeter substrates. Nikon says that is roughly 40% more throughput than the DSP-100, which resolves 1.0 micrometer. The company credits a redesigned optical system, built on optics it designs and manufactures in-house, and says the redesigned optics also widened the focus margin, meaning the range over which circuit dimensions stay accurate when focus drifts. Nikon ties that margin to better yield and steadier mass production.
The DSP-110 uses a light source equivalent to i-line and accepts square substrates in sizes including 310 by 310, 510 by 515, 600 by 600 and 730 by 920 millimeters, plus wafers such as 300 millimeter. Nikon Corporation points to rising demand for redistribution layer (RDL) patterning, the high-density wiring on large interposers and multilayer FC-BGA (Flip Chip-Ball Grid Array) package substrates. Giving up some resolution for speed suggests many of those layers do not need the finest line widths, and that cost per panel matters more to the buyers Nikon has in mind.
Nikon also says the DSP-110 can be upgraded to 1.0 micrometer resolution by swapping its optical system. A fab could start with the faster configuration and move to the DSP-100's line width later without replacing the tool, though the announcement does not give pricing or upgrade terms.
