为了缩短光刻掩膜版循环周期，控制成本，日本掩膜版制造商凸版印刷（Toppan Printing）表示，作为业界第一个开发32nm光掩膜制造工艺的制造商，他们于6月开始量产32nm掩膜版，性能已通过了领先向32nm工艺转移的数码相机、移动电话和其他器件的芯片制造商的验证。

Toppan表示，通过引入新材料和修正传统的材料与结构来开发掩膜版；同时开发制造工艺来优化新材料的特性。取代传统精细图形公式的制造工艺，采用基于新的二进制和网板类型，先进的半导体工艺获得了更高的尺寸精度。

参考原文：

In order to shrink semiconductor mask cycle time and help control costs, Tokyo-based photomask maker Toppan Printing Co Ltd said today that it believes it is the first photomask maker to develop a 32-nm photomask manufacturing process and will begin volume production in June, with performance already demonstrated at chipmakers leading the migration to 32-nm chips for digital cameras, mobile phones and other devices.

Toppan said it developed the photomasks by leveraging new materials – also called blanks -- and revising conventional materials and structures, while at the same time developing its manufacturing processes to maximize the features of the new materials.

By building on new binary type and new half-tone type leading-edge semiconductor manufacturing processes instead of conventional manufacturing processes for fine-pattern formulation, the process improves dimension accuracy.

Toppan stressed that the photomask allows binary-type wafer performance that matches the fine-pattern formulation and dimension accuracy of half-tone type wafers, produced with embedded attenuated phase shift masks.

“Our collaboration with customers, material suppliers and tool manufacturers has produced a new 32-nm photomask solution that would have been difficult to develop on our own. We will continue to reinforce our alliances with these partners to offer new solutions to our global customers and to streamline and advance semiconductor technology development,” added Toshiro Masuda, head of semiconductor solutions division and managing director of Toppan Printing, in a statement.