Used Nikon NSR-2205i12D

The Nikon NSR-2205i12D is a fully automated stepper designed for 200mm (8-inch) wafers. As part of Nikon’s highly acclaimed NSR-2200 series (built on the i-line platform), this model is renowned for its exceptional optical system and superior process compatibility.

Core Positioning: A Versatile Workhorse for Mature Nodes and Thick-Resist Processes

The "i12D" suffix denotes an advanced i-line lens configuration, typically featuring a higher numerical aperture (NA)—often 0.50 or greater. This allows the system to achieve higher resolution—capable of handling 0.35μm and certain 0.25μm nodes—while retaining the deep depth-of-focus advantage inherent to i-line light sources. Beyond its widespread use in the production of logic chips, analog ICs, and power semiconductors (such as IGBTs and MOSFETs), it serves as a primary tool for thick-resist exposure in MEMS manufacturing and advanced packaging applications (including RDL and micro-bump processes).

Key Technical and Performance Features

Optimized Optical System: Equipped with a 5x reduction projection lens featuring a high NA. During thick-resist exposure (ranging from tens to over a hundred microns), the high-NA lens—combined with an adjustable partial coherence factor—effectively manages light diffraction, ensuring vertical sidewalls and high-fidelity pattern transfer.

Robust Alignment for Challenging Surfaces: The system incorporates Nikon’s signature LSA (Laser Step Alignment) and FIA (Field Image Alignment) technologies. Whether dealing with significantly warped wafers, highly reflective metal layers, or exceptionally thick polyimide (PI) layers, its advanced signal-processing algorithms ensure high-precision overlay accuracy.

High Throughput and Exceptional Reliability: Featuring a fully automated wafer-handling system—compatible with both SMIF pods and open-cassette configurations—the unit delivers outstanding throughput (wafers per hour, or WPH). As a dominant platform from the 200mm era, it features an exceptionally stable mechanical structure and supports SECS/GEM communication, allowing for seamless integration into fully automated production lines.

Very low Cost of Ownership (CoO): The NSR 2200 series boasts a massive global installed base. This ensures a highly mature supply chain for spare parts, widespread technical expertise for maintenance, and the ready availability of process recipes—making it a highly cost-effective choice for the secondary equipment market and established wafer fabs.

Conclusion

With its perfect engineering balance between resolution and depth of focus, combined with superior adaptability to complex substrate surfaces, the Nikon NSR-2205i12D has become an indispensable core lithography tool for 200mm mature-node manufacturing, power devices, MEMS, and advanced packaging. It stands as a landmark model in the evolution of i-line steppers.