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KLA-Tencor Wafer Inspection Technology Speeds Ramp of 300 mm Production
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SAN JOSE, Calif., Nov. 27, 2001 -- KLA-Tencor Corp. (Nasdaq: KLAC) today announced that Texas Instruments (TI), the world leader in digital signal processing and analog technologies, has placed a follow-on order for KLA-Tencor's 2350 ultraviolet (UV) inspection system. This order is a result of the critical role the 2350 system is playing in the rapid ramp of TI's first 300 mm production line, located in Dallas, Texas.

The transitions to 300 mm wafers, copper and low-k dielectrics, and smaller design rules are creating new manufacturing challenges for semiconductor manufacturers. Defects that were non-critical for previous process technologies and at previous design rules are now negatively affecting yields. In addition, new processes in areas such as photolithography and chemical mechanical planarization (CMP) are creating new types of defects. The convergence of these new technologies and materials has resulted in an increasingly stringent need for wafer inspection tools that have both the resolution to capture these new types of defects and the ability to deliver useful yield information in the shortest time possible. According to TI, KLA-Tencor's 2350 wafer inspection tool is meeting these challenges during the ramp of TI's new 300 mm fab.

"Yield learning and process control were major gating factors in achieving an accelerated start-up of our first 300 mm production line. Achieving a fast ramp in 300 mm production gives us a significant competitive edge, and the ability of KLA-Tencor's 2350 tool to detect new and relevant defect types in critical applications is enabling us to meet our ambitious production ramp schedule," noted Greg Winterton, Engineering Manager of DMOS6, TI's 300 mm fab. "We expect that the yield learning initially achieved in 300 mm production at the 0.18-micron node will help accelerate 0.13-micron qualification and release to production."

KLA-Tencor's 2350 system is the only UV inspection tool that features ultra-broadband brightfield illumination to enable the resolution of circuit patterns and defects for 0.13-micron production and 0.10-micron development applications. It includes advanced optical noise suppression modes for improved sensitivity and defect capture on back-end-of line (BEOL) and front-end-of-line (FEOL) layers, as well as in-line automatic defect classification (iADC) for real-time classification.

"We"re extremely pleased that our 2350 wafer inspection tool is playing such an important role in enabling TI as it rapidly ramps its 300 mm yields to full production," stated Rick Wallace, executive vice president of KLA-Tencor's wafer inspection group. "KLA-Tencor is committed to partnering with our customers to help them achieve the economic benefits of bringing new technologies like 300 mm substrates into production quickly. The 2350 has been instrumental in these efforts with many advanced technology fabs, including helping customers achieve 200 mm equivalent yields on 300 mm production lines in only a few months. Results like these have earned the 2350 its place in virtually every 300 mm fab worldwide."


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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