Metrosol Teams With ASYST Technologies To Provide Industry-Leading, Global Field Support For Its VUV Metrology Tools
Austin, TX - 24 March 2008
Metrosol, Inc. and Asyst Technologies Nasdaq: ASYT) announced today that they have engaged in a strategic relationship whereby Asyst will provide worldwide field service for Metrosol’s VUV wavelength wafer fab optical metrology systems. Asyst’s global support team will provide front-line in-fab support for all of Metrosol’s automated wafer fab metrology tools deployed in the field, including the newly introduced VUV-7000 Vacuum Ultra Violet metrology system. This arrangement will facilitate fast in-fab response by highly qualified and specifically trained service engineers. Metrosol and their representatives will have overall responsibility for system performance and will provide escalation support if needed.
“Asyst has a proven track record when it comes to providing exceptional worldwide field service support for high volume production fabs,” said Kevin Fahey, Metrosol’s president. “Asyst’s Spartan EFEM is integral to Metrosol’s automated metrology system. This strategic agreement enhances our companies’ already established relationship. Furthermore, it provides our customers with an immediate worldwide support capability by leveraging Asyst’s outstanding network of highly trained service personnel, while allowing Metrosol to expand globally. ”
“This agreement is a natural extension of the strong alliance we have developed with Metrosol,” said Thomas Fry, Asyst’s VP/GM, Global Services Division. “By integrating our technology, we are helping Metrosol deliver a leading-edge metrology solution. And, through this unique services agreement with Metrosol, Metrosol customers will receive the benefits of single point logistics, integrated product training, shared best practices and joint issue tracking and escalation processes. Asyst will provide a full service suite of offerings that include 1st line fab support with a guaranteed response time, regional Metrosol spares stocking and shipping logistics, 24x7 technical phone support and backfill support.”
The VUV-7000 automated in-line metrology system provides fab engineers with a non-destructive spectral reflectometry tool operating in the vacuum ultraviolet (down to 120 nm) wavelength for use on product wafers. The VUV-7000 is the ideal system for in-fab measurement of high-k gate structures, multilayered dielectrics, and other advanced materials. It delivers up to 100 wph throughput, depending on the application and fab requirements. Optimized for semiconductor metrology applications such as measuring the thickness or composition of thin films used to build gate structures, the VUV-7000 is the only production-worthy tool capable of measuring both film thickness and composition simultaneously, and does so with best-of-breed COO.
SEMATECH, the global consortium of leading chipmakers, and Metrosol recently verified, on wafers manufactured with SEMATECH’s HfSiOx transistor gate technology, the VUV-7000’s capability to perform inline optical metrology for high-k gate dielectric composition, thickness, and most importantly, ultra-thin interfacial layer thickness. This demonstrated metrology capability will enable semiconductor manufacturers to perform more design turns during ramp, and to monitor and rapidly suppress excursions in dielectric stack thickness and composition for transistors that utilize emerging advanced high-k dielectric stacks like hafnia and hafnia-silica gates.
Metrosol’s leading-edge metrology system integrates Asyst’s new Spartan™ equipment front-end module (EFEM) for automated wafer handling. The Spartan EFEM is a next-generation, 300mm front-end automation solution that was designed from the outset as a unified atmospheric wafer handling solution. It offers a quick start-up, enables higher system throughput, significantly reduces particle levels, and is easy to integrate into 300mm automated fabs.
About Asyst:
Asyst Technologies, Inc. is a leading provider of integrated productivity solutions for the semiconductor and flat panel display industries. The company offers a full suite of hardware, software and services for manufacturers and equipment makers that enable the rapid and efficient transport and handling of materials throughout the manufacturing process. Asyst’s homepage is http://www.asyst.com
For more information, please contact:
Press Contact
Christopher Castillo
Castle Communications
Phone: +1.408.244.0657
Sales Contact
Norbert Kappel
VP of Marketing
Metrosol
Phone: +1.512.833.8750
