Rudolph Develops New Metrology Methods That Enable IC Makers to Stay Ahead of the ITRS Schedule
Transition to Next-Generation Transparent and Opaque Film Metrologies Helps Chipmakers With Technology Hurdles Arising From Use of New Materials.
FLANDERS, N.J., June 10 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Rudolph Technologies, Inc. (Nasdaq: RTEC - News), a provider of process control equipment designed to measure the metal and transparent films deposited on silicon wafers during IC manufacturing, has announced an enhanced metrology solutions roadmap to address the technology requirements outlined in the 2001 International Technology Roadmap for Semiconductors (ITRS).
The Rudolph roadmap builds on the company's widely accepted solutions that already address the metrology needs of the world's top 10 semiconductor device manufacturers. The company's new copper process solutions enable measurements of ultra-thin barrier films, barrier sidewall coverage, and post-CMP copper and ILD thickness of high-aspect ratio sub-micron lines.
The Rudolph roadmap also supports next generation technologies, including: oxynitrides and high-k materials predicted to replace silicon dioxide gate dielectrics, materials such as poly-SiGe and metals expected to replace traditional gate electrodes; and a variety of lower-k inter-level dielectric (ILD) materials that will be phased into production. Rudolph's metrology solutions will also support SiGe transistors to enable higher speeds and mixed signal processing.
"Our metrology-solutions roadmap will help our customers stay ahead of the ITRS Roadmap, using technologies now available in our MetaPULSE-II(TM), and S- ultra(TM) transparent and opaque film measurement systems," said Paul F. McLaughlin, Chairman and CEO of Rudolph Technologies. "The combination of our proprietary metrology techniques and production experience enables us to provide advanced solutions for gate metrology that meet all the needs of semiconductor device manufacturers from now through at least 2007. In fact, we are the only company that can provide a complete gate metrology solution to semiconductor manufacturers through the 65 nm node and below," McLaughlin explained. "This, along with our unique capability to measure copper processes, gives our customers assurance that they will be able to stay ahead of ITRS predictions."
About Rudolph Technologies
Rudolph Technologies, Inc. is a worldwide leader in the design and manufacture of precision film metrology instruments for semiconductor markets. Founded in 1940, Rudolph has consistently proven its commitment to customers and new product innovation. In 1976, Rudolph introduced the semiconductor industry's first production-oriented, microprocessor-controlled automatic ellipsometer. In 1997, RTEC introduced its complete family of film metrology systems, including SpectraLASER(TM) and S200(TM) for meeting the transparent- film half and MetaPULSE® for meeting the opaque-film half of production film metrology requirements. Together they provide the industry's first true full-fab solution. Today, Rudolph's proprietary Laser Spectroscopic Ellipsometry(TM) and PULSE(TM) technologies and award-winning customer satisfaction ratings have made the company the acknowledged leader of high accuracy thin film metrology instruments supporting a wide variety of applications in the areas of diffusion, etch, CVD, and CMP.
About Rudolph's PULSE and Ellipsometry Technologies
The MetaPULSE-II and the S-ultra series of tools are the latest products in Rudolph's pioneering efforts to meet the thin film metrology requirements of 200 and 300 mm fab processes from transistor formation to completed integrated circuits. Driven by the industry trend toward smaller, faster, and lower-priced ICs, film measurement tools are increasingly used in the fab to monitor and control manufacturing process parameters. Production metrology tools must be able to make high-throughput measurements on product wafers, either in scribe line test sites, or on actual product die. Both metrology systems can non-destructively measure in 40 micron or smaller test sites, and most measurements can be made in two to five seconds, enabling high-volume production monitoring and rapid detection of process excursions. All of Rudolph's tools offer chipmakers a range of capabilities including: extremely accurate and highly repeatable measurements; high throughput; small footprint; ease of use and maintenance; multiple metrology techniques on a single platform that provide versatility in handling new materials like copper, low-k films, and high-k dielectrics; and a low cost of ownership.
The S200-ultra and S300-ultra systems are the next generation of Rudolph's transparent film metrology tools. Their capabilities include automated measurements of low-k and ultra-low-k films, ultra-thin nitrided oxide gates, thin silicon dioxide gates under polysilicon, SiGe, and ARCs. The MetaPULSE- II metal-film metrology system, the second generation of Rudolph's unique PULSE technology, incorporates experience gained from over 300 customer-years of collaborating with major logic, ASIC, and memory manufacturers worldwide. The success of the first generation of Rudolph's MetaPULSE technology has made it the industry standard metrology for metal film process control in high volume manufacturing. Its capabilities enable effective opaque film metrology for barrier/seed, electrodeposition and CMP of copper on the low-k and ultra low-k ILD materials that will be used in future-generation semiconductors.
SOURCE: Rudolph Technologies, Inc. |
