Nikon Releases New Gen 8 Plate FPD Lithography System FX-88S

For producing various high-definition panels

March 24, 2022

TOKYO - Nikon Corporation (Nikon) announced the release of new Gen 8 plate FPD lithography system FX-88S that supports the production of various high-definition panels.
In addition to high-resolution and high-accuracy alignment, the FX-88S enables high productivity. Supporting panels for high value-added premium displays, such as smart devices, high-end monitors, and large TVs, the FX-88S meets various demands from customers.

Product name and release date

Product name	FPD Lithography System FX-88S
Sales launch	In early April 2022

Development Background

With the advent of foldable smartphones, the demand for larger and higher definition panels has been increasing in small and medium-sized panels for smart devices. In large panels for TVs, the demand for higher definition panels are also increasing.
In order to meet these demands, Nikon utilized and optimized the technologies that have been accumulated through the development of the FPD lithography system FX-68SH/68S (released in 2016), which is suitable for the production of high-definition small and medium-sized panels, and the FPD lithography system FX-103SH/103S (released in 2017), which is suitable for the production of large TV panels. The FPD lithography system FX-88S was developed to support the production of various high-definition panels.

Key Features

1. High resolution of 1.5 μm

The FX-88S incorporates the i-line projection lens, originally developed for the G6 plate FPD lithography system FX-68SH/68S to achieve mass production of high definition panels. The FX-88S fully enhanced the i-line projection lens and this enabled a high resolution of 1.5 μm (L/S^*) for Gen 8 plates.
In addition, the FX-88S incorporates a high accuracy focus correction system used in the FX-68SH/68S and achieved excellent line-width uniformity over the entire surface of the G8 plate.

*L/S: Line and Space

2. High overlay accuracy

High overlay accuracy is achieved by using the large-stage control technique of the conventional G10.5 plate FPD lithography system FX-103SH/103S and the high-resolution projection lens of the FX-68SH/68S.
In addition, plate surface can be partially corrected by Nikon's proprietary multi-lens system comprising multiple projection lenses. This enables correction of various shapes of deformation and contributes to high-yield mass production.

3. High throughput

The multi-lens system achieves batch exposure over a wide area with high resolution. The entire surface of the G8 plate can be exposed in 4 scans. In addition, compared to the conventional FX-86SH2, the drive speed of the stage has improved by 30% or more, and the takt time has shortened significantly.
Maximum four lamps can be installed, and this contributes to high productivity even in exposure processes that require high illumination.

4. Supports the mass production of various panels flexibly

With high-resolution, high-accuracy, and wide area exposure, the FX-88S can efficiently produce panels for high value-added premium displays, such as smart devices and large TVs. The FX-88S meets a wide range of demands from customers.

Performance Overview

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Resolution (L/S)	1.5 μm (i-line)
Projection magnification	1:1
Overlay	≤±0.40 μm
Plate size	2,200 mm x 2,500 mm
Takt time	47 s/plate Conditions: 2,200 mm x 2,500 mm, 4-scan, i-line, 30 mJ/cm²