KLA-Tencor speeds metrology for reticles in 0.13-micron fabs
Semiconductor Business News
(09/26/00, 03:45:17 PM EDT)
SAN JOSE -- KLA-Tencor Corp. has introduced a new critical dimension scanning electron microscope (CD-SEM) for measurement and control of advanced photolithography reticles used in volume production of 0.13-micron ICs and 0.10-micron devices under development.
The 8250-R system uses KLA-Tencor's CEq charge equalization technology, which the company says will alleviate automation and imaging difficulties for challenging substrates such as chrome on glass and molybdenum silicide reticles. The system also has a new recipe generation capability, called SEMScript, which addresses metrology requirements for sub-wavelength lithography, said KLA-Tencor.
Also today, KLA-Tencor announced a new SEM image analysis module (SIAM) option for its Klarity ProDATA lithography data modeling and analysis software that enhances 8250-R functionality for both mask manufacturing operations and wafer fabs. This option enables the new CD-SEM system to compare and measure reticle features against the original reticle design data, said the company.
"As fabs move to lower levels of sub-wavelength lithography to produce advanced semiconductors, and the complexity and critical nature of leading-edge reticles increases, more attention is being given to providing reticle total quality management (TQM)," said Scott Ashkenaz, vice president of strategic marketing for KLA-Tencor's Lithography Module Solutions Group. He said the new 8250-R and the company's recently introduced TeraScan 570 deep-ultraviolet (DUV) reticle inspection system (see Sept. 13 story) address this growing need with review and measurement of defects captured during inspection.
The 8250-R incorporates a new laser stage that provides a 25% improvement in throughput and measurement acquisition time compared with KLA-Tencor's 8100-Series CD-SEM. The combination of Ceq and the precise e-beam column provides a measurement precision of better than 2 nanometers in the 8250-R system, said KLA-Tencor.
Production shipments of the 8250-R reticle CD-SEM will be available beginning in December. The Klarity ProDATA with SIAM and SEMScript are both currently available, said KLA-Tencor. |
