SAN JOSE, Calif., Feb. 21, 2001 - KLA-Tencor Corp. (Nasdaq: KLAC) today introduced the Archer 10, the latest in its suite of optical metrology overlay tools. Incorporating several significant improvements in automation, throughput, productivity and precision over previous generation systems, the Archer 10 is one of the industry's most competitive cost-of-ownership overlay solutions for 300 mm manufacturing at the sub-0.13-micron node.

"Samsung Corporation has selected KLA-Tencor's new Archer 10 overlay metrology tool due to its superior throughput and precision," stated Dr. Park Choon, senior manager, PE Manufacturing Tech 1 Group Photo at Samsung's Fab 1 location in Keihung, Korea. "We believe that this product will help us meet our 0.13-micron product ramp goals."

As design rules approach 0.10 micron, overlay control becomes increasingly difficult to manage-driving the need for overlay metrology tools with extreme precision and accuracy. The use of extension techniques such as optical proximity correction and phase shifting, as well as processes such as chemical mechanical planarization, exacerbate this need as they can distort overlay targets, thereby making accurate overlay measurements difficult to obtain. In addition, the concurrent move to the larger 300 mm wafer size is driving semiconductor equipment manufacturers to develop products with significant reductions in cost of ownership to reduce the costs of equipping 300 mm fabs.

"Extreme accuracy is a fundamental requirement in overlay metrology tools to maintain tight control of the lithography process," stated Scott Ashkenaz, vice president of strategic marketing for KLA-Tencor's Lithography Module Solutions Group. "With a dominant share of the optical metrology market, we've leveraged our resultant expertise to design the Archer 10 -- the latest addition to KLA-Tencor's Litho PMC solution. The Archer 10 provides the increased precision and accuracy that lithography process engineers need in order to control their overlay error budget for sub-0.13-micron device production."

Designed for both current and future requirements, the Archer 10 features coherence probe metrology (CPM), which takes 3-dimensional measurements of overlay targets, as compared to the 2-dimensional measurements taken by other overlay metrology systems. The Archer 10 also incorporates new Adaptive Noise Reduction Algorithm (ANRA) focus methods, which enable overlay measurements over low contrast targets. Along with improved optic lenses, these enhancements provide up to a 30 percent increase in precision to within 2 nm.

"One of the greatest advantages offered by the Archer 10 is its low cost of ownership," stated Avi Cohen, vice president and general manager of KLA-Tencor's Overlay Metrology Division. "This is an important benefit to fab managers seeking to minimize production costs, while at the same time remaining competitive in the marketplace as they utilize the latest yield acceleration products to enable them to introduce new processes and technologies into their manufacturing line more rapidly."

The Archer 10 incorporates several significant performance improvements over previous generation tools, which make it currently one of the industry's most user-friendly and lowest cost-of-ownership overlay metrology solutions. Its industry-leading throughput of up to 150 200 mm wafers per hour and 120 300 mm wafers per hour represents a 30 percent increase over previous generation tools. In addition, the Archer 10 includes automated recipe setup and an easy-to-use Windows NT ® platform, which can reduce the training time needed to operate the tool from 14 days to 3 days. The Archer 10 also has a roadmap in place for integration with KLA-Tencor's leading yield management products, including advanced process control (APC) software, recipe data management, KLASS stepper analysis and Klarity ACE root cause analysis software, VARS images storage, and iSupport™ remote assistance and tool maintenance.

According to VLSI Research, the market for overlay metrology tools is expected to grow from $179 million in 2001 to $433 million in 2004, representing a compound annual growth rate of 34 percent.

KLA-Tencor will offer an upgrade package to the Archer 10 for its 5300 overlay tools by the second calendar quarter of 2001. Production shipments of the Archer 10 are expected to begin in the second calendar quarter of 2001. The Archer 10 will be demonstrated in KLA-Tencor's booth, #848, at the SPIE Microlithography 2001 conference in the Santa Clara Convention Center on
Feb. 27 and 28.


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