MICRO:Product News

The JVX 5200 thin-film metrology unit measures film thickness, density, roughness, and elemental concentrations. Films may be single layer or multilayer; metal or dielectric; and single crystal, polycrystal, or amorphous. The thickness measurements have angstrom-level accuracy, allowing ultrathin layers to be characterized. Buried-layer metrology enables ultrathin interfacial layers to be resolved. Buried-metal voids, post-CMP dishing and oxide erosion, and solder bump composition can be examined. The x-ray unit can accommodate 150-, 200-, and 300-mm wafers with open-cassette and SMIF configurations. (Semicon West, S.F., Esplanade, Booth 4129) A nanoindentation unit is suitable for materials characterization testing of full-size wafers up to 300 mm without cutting the wafer into smaller pieces. Full-size wafer testing saves time and keeps the wafer intact for other uses. The Nano Indenter XPW includes an operating and data-analysis software package. The unit characterizes the surfaces of wafers down to a few nanometers by making an indentation with its diamond indenter tip. The indentation depth is monitored continuously, providing data that allow the hardness, Young's modulus of elasticity, fracture behavior, and other mechanical properties to be calculated. An optional vacuum-mount system ensures that the wafer stays in good condition for additional tests. A CMP unit for 300-mm wafer processing features automatic process control, automatic wafer rework, low-stress dry-in/dry-out wafer processing, and remote system control and maintenance. The PM300 Apollo's post-CMP cleaning process includes brush scrubbing, chemical cleaning, and spin drying. Up to three subsequent and independent process steps can be run on this tool. The unit is suitable for multistep metal and oxide CMP, and provides end-point detection and closed-loop control. The unit is controlled via a PC with a touch screen monitor. The PC runs on Windows NT with