Jul 18 2007
Metryx Limited, a supplier of mass metrology equipment to the semiconductor manufacturing industry, today announced that it has received orders from a major research consortium for its Mentor SF3 300 mm tool and Mentor OC23 200 mm tool. During the evaluation phase, the Mentor successfully identified previously undetected process trends, demonstrating the value mass metrology offers to the industry.
In the facility, the tools will be used to monitor a number of applications including shallow trench isolation, etch, deposition and CMP for both metal and dielectric layers. The Mentor demonstrated high enough throughput to be used as an inline metrology tool and because it is non-destructive it can be used directly on device wafers.
“These orders from an industry-leading R&D center clearly show the value-add mass metrology brings to semiconductor manufacturing,” explained Dr. Adrian Kiermasz, CEO of Metryx, Ltd. “So many processes have a measurable mass change and the Mentor’s versatility allows it to ensure process repeatability across a broad spectrum of manufacturing technologies. This makes it extremely valuable to semiconductor fabs, and in particular those working with novel processes or high product mix scenarios.”
Mentor Mass Metrology
The Mentor offers an innovative mass measurement technology that is able to measure any mass change resulting from a process change with atomic level accuracy. The tool monitors the mass of any wafer following a process step to quickly determine whether device manufacture process steps are operating consistently using passive data collection (PDC) and normal distribution analysis. The ability to quickly and accurately identify any process drift allows the process to be corrected or stopped immediately, saving scrap or preventing yield loss.
The Mentor offers atomic level repeatability, low cost of ownership and high return on investment. The small-footprint Mentor is capable of throughputs of 60 wafers per hour to enable nanotechnology mass measurement of production wafers, as well as test and blanket wafers, independent of substrate size or material.