Editorial S
E
C
T
I
O
N
S
Not just another shrink:
NAVIGATING
Yield Management
S S O O L L U U T T II O O N N S S
EDITOR-IN-C HIEF Kern Beare
THE TRANSITION TO 0.13 µm
MANAGING EDITOR Judy Dale
The semiconductor industry has a tremendous challenge looming on the horizon: the transition to the 0.13 µm technology node. More than a shrink, it’s the confluence of three mega-trends: sub-wavelength lithography, copper/low-κ interconnect, and the 300 mm wafer. Any one of these changes alone would be significant. Having them all converge at the same time is unprecedented.
D E S I G N C O N S U LTA N T Harry Wichmann
For lithography, the challenge is printing design rules well below the wavelength of light used in steppers. This adds tremendous complexity to the entire lithography module, increasing litho cell investment while dramatically narrowing the process window. Navigating through that window with maximum productivity will require rethinking the role of the lithography control strategy. No longer can it be viewed as something separate from the litho cell, but rather integral to it. In interconnect, the transition to copper conductors and low-κ dielectrics add even more metrology and inspection challenges – from finding defects in high aspect ratio, dual damascene structures, to detecting entirely new defect classes, such as sub-surface voids and new electrical defect mechanisms. As a result, optical and e-beam inspection strategies will be required for accelerated development and ramp of new products and technologies, optimized through intelligent sampling that delivers maximum value at the lowest cost. Finally, it is generally expected that concurrent with the transition to 0.13 µm design rules will be the long-awaited move to 300 mm wafers. A tremendous amount of retooling will be required, and new statistically-valid yield management methodologies developed, tested and refined. Successfully navigating these transitions will be costly, and the investment and risk too great for any one sector of the semiconductor industry to bear alone. Partnerships and cost-sharing arrangements will be vital. At KLA-Tencor, we’re committed to partnering with you to meet these challenges, delivering advanced process module control solutions that will help you accelerate the transition to 0.13 µm, while at the same time minimizing the investment risk.
C O N T R I B U T I N G ED I T O R S Carol Johnson Kavitha Kannan Viet Pham Uma Subramaniam A R T DI R E C T O R A N D PRODUCTION MANAGER Carlos Hueso
C I R C U L AT I O N Cathy Correia
KLA-Tencor Worldwide C O R P O R AT E H E A D Q U A RT E R S
KLA-Tencor Corporation 160 Rio Robles San Jose, California 95134 408.875.3000 I N T E R N AT I O N A L O F F I C E S
KLA-Tencor France SARL Evry Cedex, France 011 33 16 936 6969 KLA-Tencor GmbH Munich, Germany 011 49 89 8902 170 KLA-Tencor (Israel) Corporation Migdal Ha’Emek, Israel 011 972 6 6449449 KLA-Tencor Japan Ltd. Yokohama, Japan 011 81 45 335 8200 KLA-Tencor Korea Inc. Seoul, Korea 011 822 41 50552 KLA-Tencor (Malaysia) Sdn. Bhd. Johor Bahru, Malaysia 011 607 557 1946 KLA-Tencor (Singapore) Pte. Ltd. Singapore 011 65 782 6788
Tom Long Vice President, Process Module Control Solutions
4
Spring 2000
Yield Management Solutions
KLA-Tencor Taiwan Branch Hsinchu, Taiwan 011 886 35 335163 KLA-Tencor Limited Wokingham, United Kingdom 011 44 118 936 5700