SAN JOSE, Calif., Oct. 6, 2004--KLA-Tencor (NASDAQ: KLAC) today unveiled its latest-generation inline electron-beam (e-beam) wafer inspection system, the eS31, which enables chipmakers to meet the high-sensitivity inspection requirements for engineering analysis and line monitoring applications at the 65-nm and below nodes. The eS31 leverages KLA-Tencor's production-proven 23xx brightfield inspection platform and several hardware and software enhancements to enable a six-fold improvement in cost-of-ownership (CoO) over previous-generation e-beam inspection tools. With the eS31, chipmakers can find and fix electrical defects earlier in the process development lifecycle and achieve faster time-to-market on their advanced products, as well as monitor for electrical excursions in production to achieve higher yields and lower their cost per good die.

Onboard µLoop Technology Eliminates Weeks of Process Development Time
The eS31 is the first system in the eS3x product family to integrate the companys proprietary µLoop ("Micro Loop") technology, which provides early information about yield-critical electrical issues that previously took weeks to obtain using an electrical probe. Since its introduction on KLA-Tencor's previous-generation eS20XP inspection system, µLoop has been adopted by leading chip manufacturers worldwide to accelerate yield learning on their advanced processes. µLoop uses unique voltage contrast test structures that have been optimized to enable chipmakers to identify the exact location of electrical defects. The eS31 with µLoop can achieve full wafer-area inspection in under an hour. Originally designed to accelerate yield learning for back-end-of-line (BEOL) processes, µLoop can also detect critical defects in front-end-of-line (FEOL) processes, such as poly stringers--providing advanced electrical verification of SRAM structures. This is especially useful for fine-tuning reticle enhancement process windows.

New Defects Drive Demand for New Inspection Solutions
The transition to smaller design rules, new materials and larger wafer sizes has led to a significant increase in the number of defect types that can only be detected through e-beam inspection. In copper dual damascene processing, smaller process windows have resulted in a new class of buried defects--copper voids--which are hidden from optical inspection systems. New materials, like cobalt salicide and nickel silicide, also introduce buried electrical defects. Leakage, which has a greater impact on performance for advanced logic devices, is also an increasing source of concern. In addition, extremely high aspect ratio (>40:1) structures in advanced memory devices are driving the need for e-beam inspection, since optical inspection tools cannot detect the under-etch defects that form at the bottom of these structures. The eS31 is designed to detect these and many other critical defect types that affect the electrical performance of the device.

Benchmark Sensitivity and Production-Worthiness
The eS31 provides the sensitivity needed to detect extremely small (sub-50-nm) physical defects and voltage contrast defects. The system's extended optics, improved data processing rate and rules-based binning (RBB) all contribute to the eS31's throughput, which is up to six times greater than that of competing e-beam inspection tools. In addition, the eS31 leverages KLA-Tencor's industry-leading 23xx brightfield inspection platform, which has been widely adopted across the fab. By sharing a common platform, the eS31 helps to lower tool operator training costs and improve ease of use and recipe setup. Unlike competing e-beam inspection platforms, the eS31 also simplifies e-beam column setup and tool calibration with an automated procedure that frees up engineers to focus their efforts on design of experiments (DOEs) and process improvement.

"Since pioneering the field of e-beam inspection more than ten years ago, we've continued to build upon our expertise in this technology by working closely with our customers to solve their most critical yield problems," stated Paul Marella, vice president and general manager of KLA-Tencor's E-Beam Inspection Division. "The eS31 offers a solution that can truly enable our customers' 65-nm processes from development through production--helping them to keep pace with Moore's Law and become low-cost producers."

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., the company has sales and service offices around the world. An S&P 500 company, KLA-Tencor is traded on the Nasdaq National Market under the symbol KLAC. Additional information about the company is available on the Internet at http://www.kla-tencor.com

Contact:
Meggan Powers
Director Corporate Communications