45nm Surface Topography Profiling System - KLA-Tencor HRP-350

KLA-Tencor introduced HRP-350, a 45nm surface topography profiling system, featuring diamond styli down to 20nm radius and a lower-noise platform for enhanced measurement sensitivity. The HRP-350 surface topography profiling system enable the chipmakers to monitor significantly smaller vertical and lateral dimensions.

KLA-Tencor HRP-350 Surface Topography Profiling System

The system’s high-resolution mode enables accurate control of nano-scale features for applications that directly impact device performance, such as Shallow Trench Isolation, CMP in the interconnect, metal film roughness and tungsten plug recess. For larger scale features, the system’s long-scan mode operates at high throughput to measure Cu CMP dishing and erosion, copper plating, die planarity, and C4 bump height in packaging. Higher scan speeds elevate the HRP-350’s production worthiness across a wide range of critical transistor and interconnect applications.

Key features of KLA-Tencor HRP-350 Surface Topography Profiling System:

• Smaller styli and improved noise performance enable topography measurements of advanced nano-scale features (e.g., recess)
• Extends the measurement capability to support advanced requirements for 65nm and beyond
• Provides 33% tighter gauge performance for the most stringent process control
• Up to 40% higher throughput and a more reliable isolation system make for the most production worthy surface metrology solution
• Novel processing abilities enable small styli to scan at 5X higher scan speeds to support both macro- and micro-topography without stylus exchange

The HRP-350 is the latest system in KLA-Tencor's line of industry-leading profile metrology solutions. The company has installed over 500 HRP-series automated profile systems at chipmakers around the world, as well as more than 4,000 desktop tools, which are extensively used by fabs, universities, and research facilities. The HRP-350 is already being used for 65nm production and 45nm development.

Jeff Donnelly, KLA-Tencor, said:

With profile control requirements for critical etch and CMP (Chemical Mechanical Planarization) processes becoming much tighter with every device generation, our customers require a single-system solution that can support yield critical nano-scale applications as well as control macro-scale topography on the wafer…

Our new HRP-350 system's nanometer-scale stylus technology matches AFM (Atomic Force Microscope) resolution capabilities, and since the HRP measurement technique is independent of any modeling requirements, it provides users with reliable data and faster time to results in both development and volume production environments…

About KLA-Tencor
KLA-Tencor is the world leader in yield management and process control solutions for semiconductor manufacturing and related industries. Headquartered in San Jose, California, the company has sales and service offices around the world. An S&P 500 company, KLA-Tencor is traded on the NASDAQ Global Select Market under the symbol KLAC.

The system's broad portfolio of styli, including a new, proprietary 20nm UltraSharp stylus, are based on diamond materials to offer the longest operating lifetimes, typically up to 100 times longer than Atomic Force Microscope tips. New stylus developments further advance the technology by not only shrinking the stylus dimensions, but also enhancing their robustness to enable scanning up to five times faster than the previous HRP-340 system. Other system productivity enhancements contribute up to 40% higher system throughput while profiling critical structures in advanced 65nm and 45nm devices.

The new HRP-350 platform includes multiple enhancements that reduce noise, enabling much higher profile measurement precision, sensitivity and repeatability. A new isolation table, advanced acoustic barrier and damping materials, and a new probe sensor assembly all contribute to improved noise floor performance compared to the previous HRP-340 system. In addition to 300mm capability on the HRP-350 system, an HRP-250 is also available with similar feature characteristics for 200mm and smaller wafers for IC (Integrated Circuit) and disk drive manufacturing applications.

More info: KLA-Tencor Surface Topography Profiling System