Impact XP
As design rules continue to shrink and new materials and processes are introduced into semiconductor manufacturing, new defects are emerging in the manufacturing process that can greatly impact yield. This requires chipmakers to adopt new technologies to detect and classify these yield-limiting defects more quickly, accurately and consistently in order to tighten their manufacturing processes and accelerate their yield-learning curve. At the same time, shrinking product lifecycles and accelerated time-to-market requirements are forcing fabs to speed new product ramp ups to meet their profitability objectives. This, in turn, is driving the need for faster ADC setup to ensure fabs can reap the benefits of ADC without slowing the ramp process.
With the introduction of Impact XP, fabs can reduce ADC setup time by up to 70 percent. By improving ADC setup, it enables engineers to implement critical ADC technology more quickly and achieve consistently better classification results. Foundries and fabs manufacturing application specific integrated circuits (ASICs) will especially benefit from faster setup since they must implement advanced processes on multiple devices at the same time.
The SmartGallery technology enables a user to set up a classification strategy and train the ADC system in a shorter period of time than can be achieved through previous methods. This is accomplished by suggesting classes and using the classifier engine to help an engineer, technician or operator accelerate defect sorting and provide instantaneous feedback on classifier performance. This enables faster implementation, improving the efficiency and overall cost of ownership of customers' yield management tools.
Other advanced features of Impact XP include real-time classification (RTC) with noise filtering capabilities, which can filter nuisance defects and other false alarms during the inspection process, enabling a smarter sample of defects to be sent for high-resolution classification. This can allow operators to run inspection tools at a higher sensitivity without a corresponding increase in noise level—especially critical at smaller geometries. It also offers new optics support, which provides higher resolution of defect images for enhanced classification at smaller geometries. In addition, an optional defect sizing module allows Impact XP to provide near-SEM defect sizing with zero setup time. Providing accurate input for yield models, this capability enables fabs to increase or decrease wafer starts based on accurate yield predictions, and better plan their production and inventory levels.
Impact XP is part of the company's defect reduction and control system, an integral component of the company's recently introduced Process Module Control (PMC) solution. Comprised of inspection and measurement systems, classification/analysis software and solutions engineering expertise, the company's PMC solution enables control over the critical process parameters that drive semiconductor manufacturing success at every critical technology transition, including copper, device shrinks and low-k dielectrics. This includes optimizing the lithography, deposition, etch and CMP process modules central to every semiconductor manufacturing line.
Impact XP is available on the company's brightfield and darkfield inspection platforms, and off-line optical and SEM review tools. Utilizing Impact XP, customers can deploy the defect classification methodology that is best suited for a given process layer and for customers' unique production requirements while sharing a common ADC setup methodology.
KLA-Tencor Corporation, 160 Rio Robles, San Jose, CA 95134. Tel: 408-875-4200.