MILPITAS, Calif., Aug. 30 /PRNewswire/ -- Today KLA-Tencor
Corporation™ (Nasdaq: KLAC), the world's leading supplier of
process control and yield management solutions for the
semiconductor and related industries, announced the latest addition
to its industry-leading VisEdge family of products: the VisEdge
CV300R-EP edge metrology and inspection tool. The VisEdge CV300R-EP
introduces two edge-metrology capabilities designed to help fabs
identify potentially yield-impacting irregularities in the shape of
the wafer edge profile or in the edges of films deposited on the
wafer. These new metrology capabilities add to the edge defect
inspection and review capabilities of current VisEdge systems,
making the VisEdge CV300R-EP a comprehensive tool for helping fabs
improve yield issues associated with the wafer edge.
Semiconductor fabs print die as close to the wafer edge as
possible to maximize the number of devices per wafer. However, die
near the wafer edge typically show the lowest yield. To address
edge-yield issues, fabs need to control where the edge of each film
lands—on the planar front surface of the wafer or past the planar
surface into the sloped bevel—and match the perimeter of each film
to those of films deposited before and after it during device
processing. VisEdge CV300R-EP provides a calibrated measurement of
the profile of the wafer edge, including the slope of the bevel on
which the film edge may land. In addition, VisEdge CV300R-EP is the
first system to incorporate data from patterned edge die—including
partial die—to trace the film edge and its concentricity with the
wafer itself or with neighboring films in the process. Other
solutions omit data from patterned areas, a method that may result
in less accurate tracing of the film edge.
"Monitoring film concentricity is critical because overlapping
film edges may lead to film delamination, increased edge
defectivity and eventual yield loss," said Remo Kirsch, manager of Contamination Free
Manufacturing at GLOBALFOUNDRIES, Inc. Fab1, located in Dresden,
Germany. "KLA-Tencor's VisEdge
tool has the unique ability to trace the position of the edge of
the copper film through both the patterned and unpatterned areas
near the wafer edge, allowing us to determine the concentricity of
the copper film with respect to the center of the wafer. We have
implemented a daily monitoring strategy using the VisEdge system to
qualify process chambers for the copper interconnect layers."
"Edge profile monitoring is another emerging use case for the
VisEdge platform," said Oreste
Donzella, vice president and general manager of the SWIFT
division at KLA-Tencor. "We have found that the bevel angle and
other edge-profile parametric values can vary widely among wafer
suppliers. Variations in the bevel angle, for example, can affect
the structure of films at the outer perimeter, with implications
for film integrity and ultimately wafer yield. The VisEdge
CV300R-EP is able to identify wafers whose edge profiles do not
meet process requirements."
The new algorithms and new edge-profile module of the VisEdge
CV300R-EP inspection and metrology system enable the following
capabilities:
- Simultaneous edge defect inspection and multi-layer edge
metrology in the near-edge and top bevel regions of the wafer—now
including patterned areas, to provide greater coverage and more
accurate determination of the film edge
- Multi-channel (specular, scatter, phase) defect imaging and
binning in the near-edge, top and bottom bevel, and apex regions of
the wafer
- On-board high-resolution review microscope
- Calibrated edge profile measurements of all sixteen SEMI
standard parameters, for bare wafer incoming quality control at
fabs
- Edge profile feedback to the metrology algorithm, for accurate
measurement of film stack height ("z-cut") in the bevel
- Enhanced performance on low-contrast films compared to
previously announced models and the ability to detect buried edges
in dielectric films
- Rotating optical head, eliminating "blind spots" and
"stitching" errors
KLA-Tencor's VisEdge CV300R-EP wafer edge inspection and
metrology system can be purchased as a new system or as a field
upgrade from the VisEdge CV300R. To maintain high performance and
productivity, the VisEdge CV300R-EP tools are backed by
KLA-Tencor's global, comprehensive service network. For more
information on KLA-Tencor's wafer edge metrology/inspection
systems, please visit the product web pages at:
http://www.kla-tencor.com/front-end-defect-inspection/visedge-family.html.
About KLA-Tencor:
KLA-Tencor Corporation (NASDAQ: KLAC), a leading provider of
process control and yield management solutions, partners with
customers around the world to develop state-of-the-art inspection
and metrology technologies. These technologies serve the
semiconductor, data storage, LED, photovoltaic, and other related
nanoelectronics industries. With a portfolio of industry-standard
products and a team of world-class engineers and scientists, the
company has created superior solutions for its customers for over
30 years. Headquartered in Milpitas,
California, KLA-Tencor has dedicated customer operations and
service centers around the world. Additional information may be
found at www.kla-tencor.com. (KLAC-P)
Forward Looking Statements:
Statements in this press release other than historical facts,
such as statements regarding VisEdge VC300R-EP's expected
performance, trends in the semiconductor industry (and the
anticipated challenges associated with them), expected uses of the
VisEdge VC300R-EP by KLA-Tencor's customers, and the anticipated
cost, operational and other benefits realizable by users of the
VisEdge VC300R-EP tools, are forward-looking statements, and are
subject to the Safe Harbor provisions created by the Private
Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These forward-looking
statements are based on current information and expectations, and
involve a number of risks and uncertainties. Actual results may
differ materially from those projected in such statements due to
various factors, including delays in the adoption of new
technologies (whether due to cost or performance issues or
otherwise), the introduction of competing products by other
companies or unanticipated technological challenges or limitations
that affect the implementation, performance or use of KLA-Tencor's
products.
SOURCE KLA-Tencor Corporation
Copyright . 30 PR Newswire