KLA-Tencor's New Reticle Inspection Option Combats Primary Cause Of Reticle-Based Yield Loss at the 130-NM Node
SAN JOSE, Calif., July 15 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- KLA-Tencor (Nasdaq: KLAC - News) today introduced TeraFlux(TM), a new option for its industry-leading TeraStar(TM) reticle inspection system that combats the primary cause of yield loss in integrated circuit (IC) manufacturing at the 130-nm node. TeraFlux enables the detection of minute, lithographically significant defects on the highly critical contact- and via-layer reticles prior to the first printing at the wafer fab. With the vast majority of defective contacts on wafers attributed to reticle defects, these defects are a primary concern for chipmakers. By capturing these critical defects during reticle inspection and qualification, TeraFlux enables chipmakers to rapidly ramp their deep sub-wavelength lithography processes into full production, while minimizing the costs associated with scrapped wafers.
IC manufacturers are implementing aggressive resolution enhancement techniques, such as optical proximity correction (OPC) and embedded phase shift masks, in order to produce leading-edge devices at 130-nm and below design rules while continuing to utilize existing 248-nm wavelength lithography tools. These techniques are stretching optical lithography to its limits, and are causing defects on the reticle to be magnified on the wafer during the pattern transfer process. In previous technology nodes, reticle contact defects were reduced by one-quarter when the design was printed on the wafer. At 130 nm, however, contact defects on the reticle can image directly onto the wafer at full size. As a result, even the slightest variation in the size of critical features on the reticle can result in defective contacts on the wafer and ultimately lead to device failure. Capturing reticle critical dimension (CD) defects on contacts and vias has become increasingly critical to ensuring the manufacturability of the IC design and achieving acceptable yields.
"In today's modern fab, reticle CD errors can consume as much as 40 percent of a fab's total CD error budget," stated Lance Glasser, vice president and general manager of KLA-Tencor's Reticle and Photomask Inspection Division. "TeraFlux helps our TeraStar customers tighten reticle CD specifications on contacts and vias by as much as half, resulting in high-yielding reticles in wafers using 248-nm and 193-nm lithography."
TeraFlux measures the energy that passes through the contact hole and compares it to another reference -- either die or database -- in order to look for unexpected energy variations. This enables the TeraStar system to capture reticle CD defects such as incorrectly sized contacts or semi-transparencies -- both of which will adversely affect the amount of light passing through the contact holes during the lithography process. TeraFlux can detect energy flux differences in contact holes as small as 5.5 percent. The current version uses die-to-die inspection and is optimized for 130-nm production and 100-nm development. KLA-Tencor will unveil a die-to-database version of TeraFlux as a next step on the TeraStar product roadmap.
Field trials conducted by KLA-Tencor with several leading microprocessor manufacturers over the past quarter indicate that TeraFlux provides a tremendous improvement in defect sensitivity over existing inspection system capabilities. Using a programmed defect test reticle, wafer print tests have been completed demonstrating that a reduction of just 6 percent in energy transmission of a contact on the reticle can cause a killer defect on the printed wafer. Previous inspection capabilities did not meet this detection requirement. TeraFlux delivers a level of defect sensitivity that exceeds the defect detection requirements for 130-nm and smaller design rules.
KLA-Tencor will showcase TeraFlux on the TeraStar at the SEMICON West 2002 exhibition in San Francisco, Calif., July 22-24, at the Moscone Convention Center. KLA-Tencor's booth is located in the South Hall, #426.
About KLA-Tencor: KLA-Tencor is the world leader in yield management and process control solutions for semiconductor manufacturing and related industries. Headquartered in San Jose, Calif., with operations around the world, KLA-Tencor ranked #6 on S&P's 2002 index of the top 500 companies in the U.S. KLA-Tencor is traded on the Nasdaq National Market under the symbol KLAC. Additional information about the company is available on the Internet at kla-tencor.com
NOTE: TeraFlux and TeraStar are trademarks of KLA-Tencor.
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SOURCE: KLA-Tencor |
