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KLA-Tencor's New Reticle Inspection Tools Extend Sub-Wavelength Lithography To 0.13-Micron And Smaller Design Rules
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SAN JOSE, Calif., Sept. 12, 2000-KLA-Tencor Corp. (Nasdaq: KLAC) today unveiled its new Tera™ family of reticle inspection tools, which deliver the combination of speed and sensitivity needed to address the yield-limiting defect challenges associated with sub-wavelength lithography. Utilizing these tools, both reticle and integrated circuit (IC) manufacturers can extend the life of deep ultraviolet (DUV) lithography to 0.13-micron device manufacturing and 0.10-micron device research and development. In addition, the increased throughput of the Tera family-three to four times faster than previous-generation tools-helps to hold the line on reticle inspection cost of ownership while delivering significant improvements in both sensitivity and productivity.

Chipmakers are increasingly implementing sub-wavelength lithography strategies-where the feature sizes printed onto the wafer are significantly smaller than the wavelength of light used-to extend the life of existing lithography tools, while continuing to aggressively shrink device linewidths. Sub-wavelength lithography introduces new process errors such as pattern distortion, however, that require reticle enhancement techniques such as optical proximity correction (OPC) and phase shift mask (PSM) technologies to correct. At the same time, these technologies create new classes of potential defects that are difficult and time-consuming to inspect and detect.

"Until now, photomask and IC manufacturers whose reticles used OPC and PSM technologies have had to make a tradeoff between the risk of missed defects and the increased cycle time and cost associated with thorough reticle inspection," stated Lance Glasser, general manager of KLA-Tencor's Reticle and Photomask Inspection Division. "Our new Tera family of tools was designed from the ground up to deal with the inspection challenges posed by OPC and PSM and to free our customers from the inspection dilemma posed by these technologies. As a result, we are helping our customers to successfully extend DUV lithography to design rules never before considered achievable."

KLA-Tencor's new Tera family, consisting of the TeraStar™ and TeraScan™ reticle inspection systems, uses a common image computing platform and processing technique capable of inspecting up to a terapixel (one million by one million pixels) per reticle. This enables the tool operator to find critical killer defects as small as 100 nm on complex reticles, corresponding to wafer geometries of 0.13 micron and smaller. The TeraStar, an evolution of KLA-Tencor's STARlight™ tool, is used for final outgoing inspection in reticle manufacturing and for incoming certification at the fab. It includes new pattern inspection and STARlight inspection algorithms to inspect OPC and PSM reticles with high sensitivity and high throughput. The TeraScan is a revolutionary new platform that is used to inspect reticles for defects caused by pattern generation and mask processing during manufacturing.

"As the industry strives to accelerate the pace of Moore's Law using sub-wavelength lithography, the ability to inspect complex photomasks is crucial, and these new systems will play an important role in supporting high-yield manufacturing," said Mark Melliar-Smith, president and chief executive officer of International SEMATECH. "The focus of this project was to develop highly sensitive, yet cost-effective reticle inspection platforms and techniques to support DUV lithography. KLA-Tencor has done an excellent job with the TeraStar and TeraScan systems, which are the result of several years of development and cooperation between KLA-Tencor and International SEMATECH member companies."

According to market research firm VLSI Research, the worldwide market for reticles is expected to grow from $2.5 billion in 2000 to $3.8 billion by 2005. "Even though the IC industry is adopting advanced OPC and PSM masks, lithography process windows continue to collapse," stated Dan Hutcheson, president of VLSI Research. "Control over this increasingly fragile process is now more critical and more difficult than ever-driving the demand for reticle inspection systems like KLA-Tencor's TeraStar and TeraScan."

KLA-Tencor's new TeraStar tool uses a unique beam-splitting technology to provide multi-beam UV reticle inspection capabilities. It can conduct simultaneously transmitted and reflected (STAR) light inspection for contamination with concurrent die-to-die pattern inspection for detection of pattern defects on the chrome surface of reticles, thereby improving the throughput of the tool by three- to six-fold compared to previous generation STARlight 300-Series tools. In addition, TeraStar detects defects on both the pellicle surface and backside of reticles in a single operation.

TeraScan utilizes a multiple parallel sensor array illuminated by a non-linear, crystal frequency-doubled, argon-ion laser to deliver DUV wavelength inspection for die-to-database applications. This new architecture provides a four-fold improvement in throughput over KLA-Tencor's previous generation tool, the 300-Series.

"We developed the TeraStar and TeraScan tools building upon the experience gained from our 22 years in this industry segment and our worldwide installed base of more than 400 reticle inspection tools," added Glasser. "These two new systems demonstrate our continued commitment to deliver best-of-class reticle inspection tools to both the mask manufacturer and the wafer lithographer."

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.

Contact:
Meggan Powers
Director Corporate Communications

 

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