editor's blog
Subscribe Now

Ready for More Inspection

Not long ago we covered a set of inspection tools announced by KLA-Tencor. They have recently announced yet another inspection tool, which they call CIRCL. The idea is that it’s actually three or four tools in one, with stations for frontside, backside, and edge inspection as well as one for spot check and review all integrated into one cluster, with loaders for up to three lots at a time.

(And yes, apparently backside matters. Years ago when I worked in the fab, it was particles on the frontside that were a problem. These days, a particle on the back can actually have noticeable effects on the front. That’s just crazy…)

These stations can be run in parallel, either for a single lot, with each wafer making the rounds, or for three lots, with each lot occupying a station.

This setup is intended to identify defects of 5 µm or larger, whether particles or defocus issues or any of a host of problems that may indicate that adjustments are necessary to the equipment before yield drops.

The system includes user-programmable logic that helps minimize inspection: the results of the first inspection will determine which other inspections are needed; the user-programmed logic drives that decision. So if a wafer looks clean to start with, it gets little further attention; if there are problems seen, then the nature of those problems determines where the wafer will spend extra time.

Just to contrast this setup with the ones we discussed before, this is a rougher inspection – meaning it goes more quickly, at 155 wafers per hour, inline. The others are inline as well, but they look for defects on the scale of the design rules – much smaller, so they take longer, and therefore lots are sampled more sparsely than they are for CIRCL inspection.

You can find more information in their release

Leave a Reply

featured blogs
Mar 27, 2025
I have to say that I've been blown away by the quality of the sound from my bone conduction headphones from H2O Audio (they even work if you're swimming)....

Libby's Lab

Arduino Portenta Environmental Monitoring Bundle

Sponsored by Mouser Electronics and Arduino

Join Libby and Demo in this episode of “Libby’s Lab” as they explore the Arduino Portenta Environmental Monitoring Bundle, available at Mouser.com! This bundle is perfect for engineers requiring environmental data such as temperature, humidity, and pressure. Designed for ease of use, the bundle is great for IoT, smart home, and industrial devices, and it includes WiFi and Bluetooth connectivity. Keep your circuits charged and your ideas sparking!

Click here for more information about Arduino Portenta Environmental Monitoring Bundle

featured chalk talk

Machine Learning on the Edge
Sponsored by Mouser Electronics and Infineon
Edge machine learning is a great way to allow embedded devices to run applications that can collect sensor data and locally process that data. In this episode of Chalk Talk, Amelia Dalton and Clark Jarvis from Infineon explore how the IMAGIMOB Studio, ModusToolbox™ Software, and PSoC and AURIX™ microcontrollers can help you develop a custom machine learning on the edge application from scratch. They also investigate how the IMAGIMOB Studio can help you easily develop and deploy AI/ML models and the benefits that the PSoC™ 6 Artificial Intelligence Evaluation Kit will bring to your next machine learning on the edge application design process.
Aug 12, 2024
56,313 views