Soichi Owa, Nikon Fellow
Soichi Owa entered Nikon Corporation in 1994. He became a researcher at Nikon Central Research Laboratory, engaged in the development of solid-state laser sources. In 1998, he was assigned to develop the next-generation IC steppers and scanners. At its initial development stage of immersion lithography*1, Owa demonstrated its feasibility by simulations and experimental proofs, creating a great impact on the industry of the time. His research led to the birth of the Nikon NSR-S609B immersion scanner which, for the first time in the world, surpassed the barrier of NA 1.0*2. He became a Nikon Fellow in 2006. In 2010, Owa was appointed a fellow member of the SPIE — The International Society for Optical Engineering, as the third Japanese appointee in the field of lithography, recognized for his achievements in optical microlithography, especially in immersion lithography and solid-state lasers. Currently, Owa’s attentions are keenly focused on research for next-generation lithography.
- *1Lithography: A technology that applies laser or electron beams to realize circuit pattern transfer onto a wafer in semiconductor manufacturing.
- *2NA: Numerical aperture. A higher resolution is obtainable with IC steppers and scanners when wavelengths of laser sources are shorter and/or the NA values of the projector lenses increase.