SAN FRANCISCO ADE Corp. Wednesday (June 29) introduced its latest nano-particle inspection and defect classification tool, a darkfield laser scanning system used for inspection of silicon substrates.
ADE (Westwood, Mass.) said the WaferXam tool features a new system design that utilizes enhancements to its patented angle resolved scatter architecture for improved defect detection sensitivity and classification performance.
The tool is positioned to serve the 45 nanometer process development and 65 nm production markets, ADE said. The WaferXam platform offers a high-sensitivity mode with 33 nm defect detection to meet tightening customer specifications, with production throughputs in excess of 50 300 mm wafers per hour, according to the company.
In a statement issued Wednesday by ADE, Paul Hofeman, ADE vice president of marketing and business development, said device yield starts with the bare silicon wafer.
"At the 65 nm node and below, minute substrate flaws, once considered trivial, have become defects that impact device yield," Hofeman said, adding that his company's defect inspection technology allows fab managers and engineers to "better manage their incoming silicon to optimize their device yield performance."
ADE said the WaferXam system could be used in 200 and 300 mm wafer production. Pricing information was not disclosed.