SCI launches Advanced Film Metrology System to support IC development and production
Scientific Computing International (SCI), a provider of advanced metrology systems for semiconductor and related industries, announced the latest addition to its FilmTek optical metrology suite: the FilmTek 6000 PAR-SE. Fully automated and compatible with Overhead Hoist Transport (OHT) systems, the FilmTek 6000 PAR-SE enables high-throughput monitoring of film thickness, refractive index, and stress measurement for a broad range of film layers down to the 1x nm design node.
The FilmTek 6000 PAR-SE utilizes a patented multi-modal technology which combines spectroscopic ellipsometry and DUV multi-angle polarized reflectometry. This technique allows for high-resolution, independent film thickness and refractive index measurement to meet the stringent demands of leading-edge device fabrication techniques.
Manufacturing advanced IC devices at 1x nm design rules requires the use of complex films that must be highly uniform. To maintain tight control over the processes used to build these films requires metrology systems that can monitor extremely thin films that are often within a multi-layer film stack. Additionally, some processes result in gradients through the thickness of the film that must be monitored for optimum device performance. Existing metrology systems that rely on conventional ellipsometry or reflectometry techniques are limited in their ability to detect film changes for these applications.
"We have partnered closely with our customers to understand the critical metrology challenges for both current and next-node technologies," stated Chris Claypool, CTO of SCI's engineering division. "To meet these challenges, we have developed patented Multi-Angle Differential Polarimetry and Differential Power Spectral Density technology to independently measure film thickness and refractive index. As a result, the FilmTek 6000 PAR-SE is far more sensitive to changes in films within multi-layer stacks than existing tools based on conventional ellipsometry or reflectometry. This is ideal for both ultra-thin and thick multi-layer film stacks used in forming complex device structures."
The FilmTek 6000 PAR-SE has gained early adoption by leading manufacturers, proving crucial in enabling tighter process control and increasing device yield during the production of the latest generation ICs. The system joins the FilmTek portfolio of advanced material characterization systems, supporting SCI's mission to solve customers' most pressing metrology challenges, at the lowest cost of ownership.
