MA 200 Gen 3 Mask

Machines of this class are used in mask-based lithography, where a patterned mask defines the image that is transferred to a light-sensitive layer on a substrate. The equipment sits within the broader patterning toolset used to create geometric features for electronic and precision microfabricated structures.

Such systems combine mask positioning, substrate alignment, controlled exposure, and motion handling in a single process platform. The class is intended for work that requires repeated, controlled pattern transfer with attention to registration between mask and substrate.

A substrate is first prepared with a photoactive coating, then aligned to a patterned mask within the exposure field. Illumination passes through or around the mask pattern, projecting the desired image onto the coated surface so that the exposed regions can be developed in later process steps.

Machines of this class rely on precise mechanical alignment, optical control, and repeatable contact or projection behavior depending on the exposure mode. The main function is to reproduce mask geometry on the substrate with stable positioning and consistent image transfer.

This class is used early in the fabrication flow, after surface preparation and coating and before downstream pattern transfer steps such as development, etching, or deposition-related patterning. It is part of the lithography stage that defines where later processing will act.

Such machines are generally used for semiconductor patterning, microelectromechanical structures, photonic components, and other precision microfabrication tasks that depend on mask-defined feature transfer. They are also used in research and pilot production environments where controlled lithographic exposure is needed.