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Politics : Formerly About Applied Materials -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Gottfried who wrote (33491)	12/16/1999 9:42:00 AM
From: Proud_Infidel	Read Replies (2) \| Respond to of 70976

Applied Materials Receives Order for Metrology and Inspection SEM Systems from Infineon VeraSEM(TM) CD-SEM and SEMVision(TM) Defect Review SEM Systems Used to Shorten Yield Learning Cycles and Ensure Consistent Quality SANTA CLARA, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Dec. 16, 1999-- Applied Materials, Inc. today announced that Infineon Technologies in Dresden, Germany, has ordered multiple units of its VeraSEM and SEMVision systems. Both systems are fully automated SEMs (scanning electron microscopes) that are expected to shorten the yield learning cycles and provide consistent quality for Infineon's 0.18 micron DRAM devices. The systems are currently being shipped to Infineon's facility in Dresden. Infineon's VeraSEM systems will be used to perform CD (critical dimension) measurements for process inspection, while the SEMVision systems will be used for the automatic review and classification of wafer defects. Dr. J. Harter, managing director of Infineon Technologies' plant in Dresden, said, ``Infineon's largest DRAM production and development site in Dresden has had a long, strategic partnership with Applied Materials in many process applications. These advanced systems will provide an opportunity for our two companies to expand this synergistic relationship in the areas of metrology and inspection for 200mm and 300mm wafer sizes.' ``Infineon's purchase of these metrology systems validates the technical strength and productivity of Applied Materials' SEM systems for the most challenging production applications,' commented Dr. Gino Addiego, president of Applied Materials' Process Diagnostics and Control Group. ``DRAMs are extremely cost-sensitive devices, making this application an excellent showcase for our technology.' The VeraSEM is the industry's first metrology system that extends the capabilities of a conventional CD-SEM to provide customers with valuable process information, enabling tighter control of lithography and etch processes. This advancement is a result of the system's unique Process Variation Monitoring (PVM) technology that measures line edge roughness and width variations, and can distinguish between open/closed contact holes. The VeraSEM handles both 200mm and 300mm wafers and is upgradable to measure sub-0.13 micron geometries for future technology requirements. The high-productivity SEMVision is another first-of-its-kind product, offering fully automatic review and classification of wafer defects in advanced semiconductor production lines. The system uses several innovative imaging and material analysis techniques to improve chipmakers' yield learning cycles during fab ramp-up and to enable tighter yield control in volume production. Featuring Multiple-Perspective SEM Imaging (MPSI(TM)) technology, the SEMVision enhances both the topographic and material characteristics of defects, thereby allowing their classification into types that are closely linked to the defect's source. Applied Materials, Inc. is a Fortune 500 global growth company and the world's largest supplier of wafer fabrication systems and services to the global semiconductor industry. Applied Materials is traded on the Nasdaq National Market System under the symbol, ``AMAT.' Applied Materials' web site is appliedmaterials.com.