Nova Measuring Instruments
Ltd. (NASDAQ: NVMI) provider of leading edge stand-alone metrology and the
market leader of integrated metrology solutions to the semiconductor process
control market, received a multiple tool order for its integrated NovaScan metrology
solution for measurement of Copper line thickness by a leading foundry. The
integrated systems will complement the already deployed standalone NovaScan
systems as part of that foundry's Copper CMP process control scheme. The correlation
of Copper line thickness measurements by NovaScan metrology to electrical tests
provides critical information at an early stage of the device manufacturing
process. The combination of integrated and standalone metrology provides the
manufacturing fab the flexibility to visualize the Copper process on a wafer-to-wafer
high sampling basis or on lower sampling basis depending on specific process
characteristics.
The resistivity of metal interconnect lines directly affects the performance
and power consumption of the device. As semiconductor devices shrink, lower
resistivity Copper replaces the higher resistivity Aluminum as the interconnect
metal. As Copper process control is more challenging than Aluminum, there is
a need for metrology to measure accurately the profile of the Copper line that
ultimately determines the line's resistivity. Scatterometry has a unique capability
to provide fast, accurate non contact measurements of Copper line thickness
and to detect Copper residues that can degrade device performance and lower
yield.
"As our customers continue to develop their advanced processes we are
committed to continue cooperating with them to provide the metrology solutions
they need", said Noam Shintel, Corporate Marketing Director for Nova. "For
technology nodes of 45nm and below we see a move from Copper process monitoring
on solid measurement pads to a comprehensive control scheme where the Copper
line trench is measured after Etch and the Copper line thickness is measured
on 2D and 3D test targets after CMP. The deployment of NovaScan is indicative
that our adaptive solution of fully matched high throughput standalone and integrated
metrology coupled with NovaMARS 3D modeling software enables control of Copper
processes in advanced technology nodes. With Advanced Process Control (APC)
and Nova's metrology solutions, semiconductor manufacturers are able to significantly
reduce their process development cycle, increase the device performance and
overall yield."