MINSK, 30 January (BelTA) – Belarusian President Aleksandr Lukashenko took part in the ceremony to inaugurate the center for specialized technological equipment for the production of photomasks and micro-optics as he visited Planar on 30 January, BelTA has learned.
A photomask is a highly precise stencil (on glass or film) that contains the design for a future microchip or printed circuit board. It is used in photolithography to transfer the image onto a substrate. In other words, no microchip can be made without a photomask.
The new center being launched is the only facility of its kind in the former Soviet Union capable of producing items at the 90 nm technological level. These products are crucial for creating advanced models of electronic equipment. The center will also serve as a testing ground for new versions of software developed at the enterprise.
The establishment of the center will make it possible to supply photolithographic equipment and photomask production machinery with domestically manufactured components.
All preparatory, design, and construction-installation work was completed in the shortest possible time, allowing the center to be finished two years ahead of schedule.
As a result, a specialized technological equipment center for the production of micro-optics and photomasks has been created within the engineering and laboratory building. Only a handful of countries worldwide (the United States, Japan, and certain EU states) possess the expertise to design and manufacture such equipment. At the same time, the line of equipment for defect-free photomask production installed at the center is unique, since no other country in the world has the full competencies to develop and manufacture the entire range of laser equipment for electronic engineering required to organize the technological process of photomask production.
Looking ahead, the center has the potential to transition to even smaller design standards, 65 nm, for which additional production upgrades are planned.
Photos by Jan Gorbanyuk/ BelTA
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