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KLA-Tencor Improves Patterned Wafer Inspection





 

Since completing the industry's largest merger in May, the combined KLA-Tencor has already demonstrated signs of a strong union. The company introduced at SEMICON/West the industry's first automated defect classification (ADC) matching software along with a new patterned wafer inspection tool for CMP wafers. The inspection platform combines an ultra-broadband (UBB) illumination source and significantly improved bright field optics with segmented auto thresholding (SAT).

CMP creates new and unique defect types, such as micro-scratches, residual slurry, and dishing. In conventional brightfield microscopes, nonuniform film thickness from the CMP process causes interference of the reflected light, leading to extreme color variation. In a gray scale representation, this color change translates into an intensity variation, creating process "noise" that reduces the sensitivity of the inspection systems. UBB illumination on the wafer during inspection, when combined with enhanced brightfield optics to average out intensity variations, can increase the signal-to-noise ratio for higher sensitivity to many defect types.

The process-induced noise can also be suppressed during image processing. Traditionally, images are digitized into small pixel grids, aligned, and compared for defects either die-to-die, or cell-to-repeating cell. Earlier platforms used fixed thresholds for acceptable levels of background noise (gray level difference in images) over the entire imaged area, resulting in digitized images with grainy features. Special SAT algorithms allow the new platform to segment the wafer images based on the gray level signatures of the pattern and dynamically set separate thresholds for each segment, replacing the single threshold for the entire image. The resulting images have much higher resolution as a result of the adjusted sensitivity levels for different structures.

Once defects are detected by inspection systems from KLA-Tencor or other manufacturers, they are classified into the ADC portfolio. Users can then standardize classification schemes to classify defects consistently, accurately, and quantitatively both within and between fabs.

(Solid State Technology)


KrF Lithography: Not Finished Yet

Aaron J. Hand, Managing Editor -- Semiconductor International

As chipmakers endeavor to keep up with Moore's Law, the semiconductor industry has certainly become familiar with optical lithography's refusal to give up the ghost. Lithography systems continue to reach further and further beyond their previously perceived limits. Today's state-of-the-art production steppers use a KrF excimer laser that - despite its 248 nm wavelength - routinely prints feature sizes at 180 nm, or 0.18 µm.

Status quo motivations

The main drive behind a reduction in wavelength is to exploit the inherently higher resolution that results, easing pressure to use more expensive and technically challenging resolution enhancement techniques (RETs). But the urge to push 248 nm lithography past what had previously been considered its limits is largely a matter of economics. Chipmakers must consider the trade-offs between the cost of the advanced reticles necessary to extend the current wavelength and the system costs and risks that come with the next wavelength. Manufacturers that run large volumes of devices per reticle are more willing to put pressure on the current wavelength, spending the necessary money on the reticles. On the other hand, those making logic or application-specific ICs (ASICs), where only a few hundred wafers may be manufactured with a reticle set, face a much higher cost of ownership if forced to pay the high price of advanced reticles.

The ability to extend KrF lithography comes through fundamental improvements in the technology, including RETs, better lenses and improved resists. Chemical mechanical planarization (CMP) has been a key enabling technology, and improved process controls also play their part. Just about everything in a lithography system affects the imaging, whether actively or passively.

 

 

Changing relationships

The array of RETs available to chipmakers has even changed the way lithography system manufacturers interact with their customers. "It's no longer the case that we can simply manufacture a tool to certain lens specifications and hope it works for all customers," ASML's Cossins said. "What we have to do now is work on almost an individual basis in various sectors. We manufacture lenses with aberration sets compatible with their requirements."

As manufacturers along the supply chain cooperate more with each other, the industry seems to be assured that 248 nm lithography will continue to get the job done until 193 nm technology is ready to take over. The cheapest form of transportation, ordinarily, is to keep your car for another year. But if you couldn't buy another car, you'd have no choice.


Origami Unfolds

By Suzanne Deffree -- Electronic News

SAN FRANCISCO - Microsoft today unveiled its Origami Project, detailing what it is calling ultra-mobile personal computers (UMPC) at the CeBIT show in Hannover, Germany.

The move was an expected one. Microsoft had been hyping a coming technology for three weeks through its www.OrigamiProject.com Web site. Meanwhile, long-time partner Intel this week at its spring developer forum here promoted its idea of an "ultra mobile PC" that would be smaller than a laptop but larger than a cell phone. Neither Sean Maloney, executive VP of Intel's mobility group, nor Mooley Eden, corporate VP and general manager for the same group, would admit Intel's involvement in Origami during their respective presentations on Tuesday

"The opportunity is in between. Yes, you can surf the Internet on a cellular phone, you can even watch a movie on a cellular phone, but I've had better experiences in my life. We believe that in between there is opportunity for a new category that will not replace the cellular phone or the notebook. This category will be the ultra mobile PC," Eden said.

Microsoft today confirmed Intel's involvement, saying Intel Pentium M or Celeron M chips are used in the UMPCs. VIA C7-M processors will also be available, Microsoft said. Electronic News spoke with AMD on its interest in UMPCs and the company said it plans to continue to focus on notebooks at this time.

"We keep our eyes closely monitoring that market. The problem from my standpoint is it's too large to be a PDA, it doesn't necessarily have all day battery life, and it doesn't have the traditional input device of a keyboard so it's poor for content creation," said Dave Rooney, product manager, AMD Turion 64 mobile technology. "It's a niche device until we start to see some of these more practical things being solved."

Rooney compared the products to tablet PCs. "That market hasn't taken off in the way some people thought it would. You're left with something sort of in between [a PDA and PC]. There tends to be all kinds of more practicality issues around the tablet," he said. "Clearly, from a processor standpoint, we'll work on processors that address that ultra portables space. But right now the focus is on the traditional laptop PC space."

Microsoft disagrees, saying this is the first step toward creating a brand new PC category.

"The "Origami" project is really our first step toward achieving a big vision," said Bill Mitchell, corporate VP of Microsoft's Windows mobile platforms division, in a statement. "We believe that UMPCs will eventually become as indispensable and ubiquitous as mobile phones are today. We are working toward that goal with a sequence of advances in hardware and software."

According to Mitchell, current Windows-based UMPC devices will weigh less than 2 pounds, with a 7-inch screen size. Users can employ a touch-enhanced display as an on-screen QWERTY keyboard to navigate or can use a stylus to input handwritten information. Further, they can also input content with a traditional keyboard, linked either by USB port or wireless Bluetooth connectivity. UMPC devices will have a battery life of two and a half hours or more, and feature 30Gbyte to 60Gbyte hard drive for storage. Some devices may also include additional built-in features such as GPS, a webcam, fingerprint reader, digital TV tuners, and compact flash and SD card readers, Microsoft said. UMPCs can be connected through Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and Ethernet networks with some UMPCs able to connect via wide-area networking.

The first editions of Microsoft's UMPCs are to run on the Windows XP Tablet PC 2005 OS and include pre-installed Microsoft Touch Pack for Windows XP software to optimize the touch screen user interface. The Touch Pack's customizable Program Launcher organizes software programs into categories, Microsoft said, and uses large buttons and icons to make it easy to find and open favorite applications.

Mitchell said Microsoft's next roadmap step will take place in the Windows Vista release timeframe, expected in late Q3 or earlyQ4 of this year, with UMPCs running the upcoming operating system at that time.

Pricing will be determined by OEMs and is anticipated in the $599 to $999 range. "Part of our objective in creating the original reference design for the UMPC category was to engineer a platform that's both very compact and, through careful component choice, possible to sell for $500 MSRP," Mitchell said.

OEMs expected to launch Intel chip-based UMPCs in 2006 include Founder and Samsung in Q2, with a model debuting from Asus shortly thereafter. Models using the VIA processor are expected to arrive from TabletKiosk and PaceBlade Japan, also in Q2.


TSMC Blows the Doors Off Q4

Online Staff -- Electronic News

Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. said today that both revenues and net income jumped both sequentially and year over year in Q4 of last year.

TSMC posted revenue of $2.5 billion (81.16 billion new Taiwanese dollars) and net income of nearly $1.1 billion (33.9 billion NT), or 21 cents
(1.37 NT) per share in Q4 2005. Sequentially, revenues rose 17.2 percent while net income grew 38.4 percent. Year over year, revenue jumped
27.1 percent while net income jumped 52.8 percent. The Q4 revenue numbers topped the company's previous guidance; it cited stronger- than-expected demand across all major product segments.

"Due primarily to continued robust demand from our customers, our fourth quarter business exceeded our previous guidance," Lora Ho, VP and CFO, said in a statement. "Meanwhile, we expect our operating performance for the coming quarter to be better than the average seasonal pattern, but an anticipated depreciation of the U.S. dollar against the NT dollar will impact our revenue by more than 4 percent," she continued.

Gross margin for the fourth quarter climbed 5 percentage points to 49.1 percent, thanks to higher levels of capacity utilization and more favorable currency exchange rates, the foundry said. Advanced process technologies - 0.13-micron and smaller - accounted for 49 percent of wafer revenues, while revenues from 90nm process technology alone reached 17 percent of the total wafer sales.

The foundry reported that it was operating at full capacity as well. Operating margin jumped from 36 percent in Q3 to 42.2 percent in Q4, while net margin improved to 41.8 percent, from 35.4 percent in the prior quarter. For Q1 TSMC anticipates revenue to be between $2.3 billion (73 billion NT) and $2.4 billion (76 billion NT), a gross profit margin between 46 percent and
48 percent, and an operating profit margin of approximately 39 percent. Ho said management also expects that 2006 capital expenditures will be in the range of $2.6 billion to $2.8 billion.







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