Metrosol Work with SEMATECH Validates Capability To Measure
Film Thickness and Composition Simultaneously

Austin, TX, September 26, 2007

Metrosol, Inc., a developer, manufacturer and worldwide supplier of short wavelength optical metrology solutions, and SEMATECH, the global consortium of leading chipmakers, today announced their demonstration of inline optical metrology for high-k gate dielectric composition, thickness, and most importantly, ultra-thin interfacial layer thickness. This demonstration revealed the correlation between these physical parameters and high-k gate electrical properties and was performed on a high-volume, non-destructive inline metrology tool.

The resulting 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. The results, which will be presented jointly at the 4th International Symposium on Advanced Gate Stack Technology in September 2007 in Dallas, were obtained using Metrosol's vacuum ultravioulet spectroscopic reflectometry (VUV-SR) metrology system and wafers manufactured with SEMATECH's HfSiOx transistor gate technology.

"High-k dielectric films are experiencing rapid adoption for applications as gate and memory dielectrics to help control leakage currents and lower equivalent oxide thickness," said Raj Jammy, director of SEMATECH's Front End Process Division. "These efforts can be compromised by variations in the dielectric stack, resulting in degradation in overall device performance. Rapid adoption of this technology and its use in high volume manufacturing requires suitable inline metrology techniques to monitor the thickness and composition of the various films in the dielectric stack."

Metrosol's VUV spectroscopic reflectometry (VUV SR) technology with its high throughput enables a true advanced process control (APC) capability that delivers greater statistical sampling, resulting in more accurate information and faster problem resolution.

"Our VUV7000 tool is the best APC solution available for the 45 nm node and beyond," said Kevin Fahey, Metrosol's CEO, "because it delivers the throughput that makes it truly production-worthy at a lower acquisition cost than current ultra-thin film tools such as X-ray or advanced spectroscopic ellipsometers. The introduction of short wavelength optical technology provides high precision thickness and composition measurement capability required for these new materials, even for the ultra-thin films used in emerging gate and memory dielectric stacks. This means that one tool can now measure new materials as well as more traditional material systems, and eliminates the need for purchasing separate thickness and composition measurement systems."

Metrosol's patented VUV reflectometry represents the leading-edge in the industry's ultra-thin film optical measurement technology, allowing precise collection of reflected light from an enhanced spectral range (800 nm all the way down to 120 nm) on a production-worthy platform. Operating at these shorter VUV wavelengths provides critical data unavailable to fab engineers using other types of reflectometers or ellipsometers. Gauge capable for films below 10 Ã, Metrosol's VUV technology can decouple film thickness and composition; is sensitive to N content; as well as other low Z elements; and can measure optical properties at and below 193 nm.

The company delivers its proprietary VUV measurement technology on a unique modular architecture that provides an unprecendented level of flexibility. Depending on the number of metrology modules deployed on the platform, it can be used as a stand-alone lab metrology tool, be fully integrated into the fab for production use or integrated onto other cluster tools as an integrated metrology module. Capable of handling up to five metrology modules on a single platform, the system is easily field-upgradeable and its modular architecture significantly reduces system downtime and platform cost of ownership. Depending on the application or fab requirements and number of modules, the system can process over 100 wafers per hour even for advanced applications such as high N, SiON and HfO2, high-k dielectrics.

For more information, please contact the following:
Press Contact
Christopher Castillo
Castle Communications
Phone: +1.408.244.0657

Sales Contact
Sean Jameson
VP of Sales
Phone: +1.512.833.8750