Dongbu Electronics Completes Development of Optical Proximity Correction (OPC) Tool for 90nm Wafers

SEOUL, South Korea--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Aug. 28, 2006--
New Lithography Enhancement Tool Promises Substantial Yield Improvement While Reducing Time-to-Volume Production by up to Six Months

Dongbu Electronics today announced that it has adopted an Optical Proximity Correction (OPC) tool from Mentor Graphics to work with its advanced wafer process technologies. Compensating for errors due to diffraction and process effects, the new tool has been fully adapted to support wafer processing at the 90nm node, giving Dongbu an important foothold at this finer line width. Dongbu's earlier adaptation of the tool at the 130nm node has begun to demonstrate the benefits that OPC can bring to fabless chip makers.

According to Dr. Jae Song, EVP of Dongbu Electronics, the new OPC tool can potentially improve yields while reducing time to reach volume production by up to six months. He also noted that OPC resolution enhancement allows a lower grade mask set to be used, thus reducing manufacturing cost. "We're confident that the more than $5 million we've invested in OPC development will return significant dividends to our fabless customers," he added, noting that Dongbu's investment in this area compares with that made by other top-tier foundries.

As integrated circuits move to ever finer line widths, the wavelengths of light used to expose masks are becoming longer than the feature sizes on each chip. The resulting diffraction effects can be diminished with OPC techniques that selectively distort the shapes on a photomask to ensure more faithful transfer of circuit patterns to the wafer. OPC is often used where line widths vary on the same chip (e.g., center vs. edge of an array, or nested vs. isolated lines). OPC is also applied where there is line end shortening such as that caused by gate overlap on field oxide.

About Dongbu Electronics

Dongbu Electronics provides world-class CMOS processing for system-on-chip solutions that integrate advanced logic, analog, and mixed-signal technologies. As a "Specialty Solution Partner" in high-growth markets, such as those represented by mobile handsets and flat-panel displays, Dongbu adds high value with specialized processing for CMOS Image Sensor (CIS), High Voltage, Embedded Flash, and LCD Driver IC (LDI) functions. Dongbu's collaborate-and-thrive approach is evident across the entire manufacturing spectrum including prototype development/verification, packaging/module development, complete turnkey solutions, and accelerating time to volume production. The company's stock is publicly traded under 001830 on the Korea Stock Exchange. For more information, visit http://www.dongbuelec.com