KLA-Tencor Corporation announced the Archer 600 overlay metrology system, the WaferSight PWG2 pattern wafer geometry measurement system, the SpectraShape 10K optical critical dimension measurement system, and the SensArray HighTemp 4mm field temperature measurement system as measurement systems that enable the development and mass manufacturing of sub-10nm integrated circuits. The four new systems enable support for advanced patterning technologies such as self-aligned quadruple patterning (SAQP) and extreme ultraviolet (EUV) lithography.



Archer 600 extends image-based overlay metrology technology to new optical and measurement targets, enabling chip manufacturers to achieve on-product overlay (OPO) errors of less than 3 nm for advanced logic and memory devices.

WaferSight PWG2 generates comprehensive wafer stress and geometry data, enabling film deposition, thermal strengthening, monitoring, and matching. By increasing wafer sampling during production through improved productivity, it helps chip manufacturers identify and correct process-induced wafer stress variations that may affect patterning processes and yield. In addition, wafer shape data can be used to reduce overlay errors caused by wafer deformation due to the high stacking structure of 3D NAND in the exposure equipment.

The SpectraShape 10K optical-based metrology system measures the critical dimension (CD) and three-dimensional structure of complex IC device structures associated with etching, chemical mechanical planarization (CMP), and other process steps. It employs optical technology that includes a new polarization function, an ellipsometer equipped with multiple angles of incidence, and a new high-intensity light source TruNI optical coherence thickness meter.

SensArray HighTemp 4mm wireless wafers provide temporal and spatial temperature information for advanced T/F processes. With a temperature range of 20°C to 400°C, process characteristics and equipment verification are possible using thermal variations that can affect process and pattern performance.

"To understand patterning errors, chip manufacturers must quantify process variables, identify sources, and address root problems," said Oreste Donzella, Marketing Director at KLA-Tencor. "The new metrology system plays a key role in driving 193i multi-patterning performance and providing the foundation for early EUV lithography results."