Autumn00 product news

Product News KLA-Tencor’s Tera™ family of reticle inspection tools delivers the speed and sensitivity required to address yield-limiting defect challenges associated with sub-wavelength lithography. Incorporating new advanced imageprocessing algorithms, the TeraStar™ and TeraScan™ 570 can inspect advanced reticles incorporating phase shift mask and optical proximity correction technologies for 0.13-micron device manufacturing, and 0.10micron device research and development.

TeraScan 570

The TeraScan 570 uses an argon-ion laser technology that delivers DUV wavelength inspection for die-to-database applications and provides a fourfold improvement in inspection speed over KLA-Tencor’s previous generation 3XX tool. It is used to inspect reticles for 100 nm defects caused by pattern generation and mask processing at the mask shop.

TeraStar

Used for final outgoing inspection at the mask shop and incoming qualification at the fab, TeraStar provides multi-beam UV reticle inspection to enable detection of all defect types on all reticle surfaces in a single pass. It also can conduct simultaneously transmitted and reflected light inspection for contamination with a concurrent die-to-die inspection for detection of pattern defects. This improves the throughput of the tool six-fold compared to inspections performed on previous KLA-Tencor STARlight 300Series tools.

X-LINK

An innovative software option provides a critical link in defect analysis by projecting reticle defect coordinates to their corresponding location on the wafer. It allows data captured by the KLA-Tencor 9X Reticle Inspection Tool to be translated and analyzed in two different ways via connectivity with the 8250-R (reticle CD SEM) for reticle defect analysis (the R2R option) and the 8250 (CD SEM), eV300 (SEM defect review), CRS (optical review) and 2350 (brightfield wafer inspection) for wafer defect analysis (the R2W option). Defect coordinates and images stored by the KLA-Tencor 9X also can be translated and analyzed by third party reticle and wafer review and metrology tools.

8250-R CD SEM

This latest CD SEM tool from KLA-Tencor fills one of the biggest gaps in CD SEM usage—engineering setup and burden—with advanced automation and recipe setup capabilities, thus providing an advanced CD metrology solution available for the entire reticle manufacturing industry. With the new cRAG (Cats Recipe Auto-Generation), automation recipes can be generated prior to the generation of a reticle, thus minimizing engineer time in front of the tool. By providing superb metrology and analysis at all points in the lithography process, KLA-Tencor offers real solutions for the lithography market.

58

Autumn 2000

Yield Management Solutions

Impact SEM XP

IMPACT SEM XP is KLA-Tencor’s latest addition to its suite of automatic defect classification (ADC) software solutions. With IMPACT SEM XP, KLA-Tencor brings to its eV300 SEM review tool the same productionproven ADC capabilities already implemented on its high-resolution optical wafer inspection platforms - enabling intelligent defect sampling and classification, and more rapid, consistent and accurate sourcing of yieldlimiting defects that affect device performance and reliability. With these new capabilities, customers can optimize the eV300 for use in classifying and reviewing the extremely small defects associated with advanced semiconductor manufacturing processes, including 0.13-micron and smaller design rules, thus dramatically reducing the cost of ownership (CoO) of SEM review.

Klarity ProDATA

KLA-Tencor’s lithography data analysis software is an easy-to-use, fast and accurate tool that standardizes and automates analysis of experimental lithography data to allow engineers across the fab to use common analysis schemes. With Klarity ProDATA, users can adopt a systematic and robust approach to understanding and optimizing their manufacturing processes to help reduce cycle times for process characterization, stepper and scanner lens qualification, new reticle introduction and resist evaluation.

The SEM Image Analysis Module, an optional new add-in to Klarity ProDATA for analysis of CD SEM images, provides a variety of two-dimensional measurement capabilities on images imported from the KLA-Tencor CD SEM. This module extracts the critical shape from reticle and wafer SEM images and measures area, corner rounding, edge roughness and other metrics. What’s more, it can overlap two separate SEM images, such as a reticle and wafer image of the same feature, or design data and a SEM image, and provide measurements of the critical shape difference and overlapping area. The SEM Image Analysis Module enables fast characterization and optimization of reticle processing and optical extension technology.

SEM Image Analysis Module (SIAM)

KLA-Tencor’s new Klarity ProDATA extension enables quicker recognition of two-dimensional shape effects in lithography processing. SIAM allows users to overlay images from different points in the lithography pattern transfer process and to quantify the critical shape difference (CSD) between patterns. With SIAM, engineers can easily import and compare initial and post-OPC design patterns, PROLITH simulations, and CD SEM images of reticle, resist and etch features.

Autumn 2000

Yield Management Solutions

59