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Press Release

Azores 6600 FlexPrinter™ System Accepted at Binghamton University’s CAMM

January 8, 2008 - WILMINGTON, MA - Azores Corp, a leading manufacturer of advanced photolithography steppers for mobile display applications, today announced that their Model 6600 FlexPrinter™ has been accepted at the Center for Advanced Microelectronics Manufacturing (CAMM). CAMM is managed by the State University of New York at Binghamton in partnership with Endicott Interconnect Technologies and Cornell University. The FlexPrinter was built under contract to the U.S. Display Consortium (USDC), which is working with its member companies and the CAMM to commercialize flexible display technologies and other flexible electronics products for military and commercial applications. The shipment was based on a contract that commissioned Azores to incorporate a web-based, or roll-to-roll, manufacturing capability on its existing step-and-repeat platform. The platform includes the company’s grid motor stage technology.

The Azores Model 6600 FlexPrinter photolithography system was chosen by the USDC to process displays in a flexible, continuous web format. This partnership represents Azores’ unique ability to customize design and engineering to fit unique FPD application requirements, such as those specified by the USDC. The $4M project was cost-shared between Azores and USDC using Army Research Laboratory funding that was appropriated to advance the capability of U.S. industry in the burgeoning flexible microelectronics market.

“The FlexPrinter will be the centerpiece of a prototype line to develop process methods for manufacturing electronic components on a roll-to-roll basis,” stated Dr. Bahgat Sammakia, Director of the CAMM. “We are excited to accept this tool from Azores and USDC and put it to use on behalf of our industrial partners and academic R&D community.”

Imaging performance evaluations show that the 6600 System provides accurate alignment compensation for processing multiple photolithography layers, accommodating for substrate distortion that is characteristic of flexible substrates. The system accommodates 8-inch (203.2 mm) to 18-inch (457.2 mm) wide substrates at thicknesses of 100-200 µm.

The Model 6600 provides advanced photolithography for applications that require resolution down to 4 µm. The fully integrated subsystems provide manufacturers with maximum performance and flexibility. They include: a high-fidelity projection lens and illumination system, precision grid motor stage, integrated web handling, automated substrate alignment system, automated reticle handling and storage system, and a sophisticated suite of metrology sensors that make the 6600 System one of the most precise stepper platforms available.

With its exceptional resolution and metrology capabilities, the 6600 System can also address the most demanding stitching applications, with an image field stitching error of <+1.0 µm.

Downloadable File

Azores_6600_USDC_Acceptance_PR_10808.pdf