Rudolph Technologies Ships Milestone 200th PULSE Technology System
Sales volume demonstrates market acceptance for MetaPULSE and MetaPULSE-II opaque film metrology tools
Flanders, New Jersey ¯ Rudolph Technologies, Inc. (Nasdaq: RTEC), a leading provider of process control equipment for thin film measurement and macrodefect inspection during integrated circuit manufacturing, announces shipment of its 200th PULSE Technology™ system. The MetaPULSE® and MetaPULSE-II™ are high-volume production metrology tools that provide process control measurements for copper and aluminum interconnect structures. Since initial volume deliveries of tools to meet the 180 nm aluminum film measurement requirements began in late 1998, this technology has been adopted by over thirty of the top tier semiconductor manufacturers around the world, including all of the top ten, for 24/7 production monitoring. As the manufacturers transition to copper interconnect, tool orders remain strong due to PULSE Technology's superior capabilities when measuring all phases of copper processing from barrier formation to chemical mechanical planarization.
"This milestone demonstrates the high demand that we have experienced for PULSE Technology systems that enhance fab yields through the detection of drift and excursions during high-volume manufacturing. The second generation MetaPULSE-II experienced steep sales growth in 2004, with penetration concentrated at the larger manufacturers of 130 and 90 nm copper processes and developers of 65 nm processes, all of whom are introducing new, low-k materials into their manufacturing," said Nathan Little, Executive Vice President of Rudolph Technologies.
Little adds, "Our customers find the versatility of PULSE Technology tools ¯ their ability to measure a wide range of different films, film thicknesses, and other process critical film characteristics, such as density and low-k modulus ¯ to be of great benefit in their manufacturing environments."
PULSE Technology provides production-worthy on-product opaque and transparent film measurements of the thinnest to the thickest films used in today's fabs. PULSE Technology systems are based on Rudolph's patented picosecond ultrasonic laser sonar (PULSE™), which is a non-contact, non-destructive measurement technique that offers the speed and accuracy required to ramp up new processes quickly and to maintain strict process control during high-volume manufacturing.
The order for the 200th PULSE Technology system was received in February 2005.
About Rudolph Technologies, Inc.
Rudolph Technologies is a worldwide leader in the design, development, manufacture and support of high-performance process control metrology and defect inspection systems used by semiconductor device manufacturers. The Company's products provide a full-fab solution through its families of proprietary systems, which are used throughout the device manufacturing process. Rudolph's product development has successfully anticipated and addressed many emerging trends that are driving the semiconductor industry's growth in order to enhance the competitiveness of its products in the marketplace. The Company's success in creating complementary metrology and inspection applications through aggressive research and development is key to Rudolph's strategy for continued technological and market leadership.