Dec 5 2007
KLA-Tencor today introduced the Aleris family of films metrology systems, beginning with the Aleris 8500 which is the industry’s first system to combine production-worthy composition and multi-layer film thickness metrology. Additional Aleris family systems will be introduced in coming months in configurations to meet the performance and CoO requirements for all film applications at the 45nm node and below.
“With the flood of new materials and device structures that dramatically impact device performance and reliability, our customers need much more detailed knowledge of the physical and chemical characteristics of their critical film layers,” noted Ahmad Khan, vice president and general manager of KLA-Tencor’s Films and Scatterometry Technologies division. “The Aleris 8500 system’s advances in core optical technology provide the most accurate thickness measurement available. The system’s new composition measurement capability now enables leading edge customers to monitor gate and other critical layers on product wafers, not just monitor wafers. The Aleris 8500 system is also available with significantly improved 2D stress metrology capabilities to manage the increasing number of high-stress layers.”
Until now, chipmakers have normally purchased separate analytical and traditional optical thickness metrology tools to provide thickness and composition measurements. This mix-and-match method has meant tolerating the inefficiencies of poor tool-tool matching, difficult capacity backup and incompatible recipes. Having all of the advanced critical films metrology applicati ons available on a single Aleris platform helps chipmakers improve cost of ownership and time to results. The Aleris 8500 offers 3x higher throughput compared to existing analytical techniques and its non-vacuum optical technology overcomes traditional analytical tool reliability constraints. These comprehensive productivity advantages make the Aleris 8500 the optimal CoO solution for composition control.
The Aleris 8500 system builds on the company’s industry-leading SpectraFx 200 technology, featuring next generation Broadband Spectroscopic Ellipsometry (BBSE™) optics that provide a significant improvement in precision, matching and stability. This technology enables chipmakers to qualify and monitor advanced films, including new materials, structures and engineered substrates. The system’s unique 150nm BBSE offers enhanced sensitivity to composition measurement, making Aleris 8500 the industry’s first single-tool solution for production monitoring of critical gate applications on product wafers. Aleris’ StressMapper™ module provides higher spatial resolution at higher throughput, for production monitoring of 2D stress in high-stress films.
Aleris 8500 systems have been shipped to several key customers where they are being used for 65nm gate control production and 45nm/32nm development.