Nikon will start selling a lithography tool that writes package wiring without a photomask, aiming at a step in chipmaking where demand is growing faster than the supply of conventional scanners.
The DSP-110 arrives in April 2027 and patterns redistribution layers at 1.5 micron resolution. It is a successor to the DSP-100, which resolved 1.0 micron lines but ran slower. Redesigning the optical system lifted throughput about 40 percent to 72 panels an hour while holding overlay accuracy within 0.3 micron.
Dropping the mask matters because packaging is moving to large substrates. Big interposers and multilayer flip-chip ball grid arrays need dense wiring, and each mask change adds cost and lead time. Direct writing sidesteps the reticle entirely.
Why panels, not wafers
The tool is built for panel-level processing rather than round wafers, a format gaining ground as package sizes grow. Nikon says it designed and built the optics in house, the same lever it uses elsewhere to compete on price against ASML.
Nikon has been pushing back into lithography from a weak position. It abandoned extreme ultraviolet development years ago and now concentrates on mature deep ultraviolet scanners and specialty tools. Advanced packaging is one of the few areas where a smaller player can still take share.
The company said it will keep watching packaging trends and adjusting resolution and supported substrate types to customer demand.
