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KLA-Tencor and Clear Shape team on mask yield issues |
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Apr 12, 2007 at 12:24 PM |
 KLA-Tencor and Clear Shape Technologies have started a collaboration that is intended to improve chip yields. The work will focus on understanding a photomask defect's effect on final silicon electrical performance. The two companies expect this collaboration to enable customers to achieve improved device yield and, ultimately, faster production ramp for the most advanced designs.
Using Clear Shape's modeling techniques that utilize design tolerances from transistor timing analysis to identify areas on the mask that are critical to device performance, the companies will apply the data to KLA-Tencor's new TeraScanHR mask inspection tool to optimize and enhance mask inspection parameters on specific yield-critical photomask features. The aim is to produce more efficient inspection flow that has the potential to streamline the overall mask manufacturing process.
This could be achieved because mask shops would be able to use tighter inspection specifications in just the critical areas on the mask which affect device performance, without significantly impacting overall mask yield or productivity.
"Having the unique ability to utilize critical design intent models in our photomask inspection system should allow our customers to more quickly ramp production, with the potential to then increase yield ramp cycle time in 45nm and below manufacturing," said Harold Lehon, vice president and general manager of KLA-Tencor's Reticle and Photomask Inspection Division. "Clear Shape's electrical DFM solution, which is based on fast and accurate silicon contour prediction models, provides additional enabling capabilities for our latest generation of photomask inspection systems."
"Clear Shape's initial DFM products have focused on allowing designers to perform variability-aware analysis, design and optimization," stated Atul Sharan, President and CEO of Clear Shape. "This collaboration with KLA-Tencor is designed to give our customers increased ability to accelerate device yield by bringing electrical design intent information directly into photomask inspection thus bridging the gap between design and manufacturing."
"We are proud to be working with the market and technology leader in photomask inspection to advance the tremendous potential of design-aware manufacturing," said Atul Sharan, President and CEO of Clear Shape. "Clear Shape's initial DFM products have focused on allowing designers to perform variability-aware analysis, design and
optimization. This collaboration with KLA-Tencor is designed to give
our customers increased ability to accelerate device yield by bringing electrical design intent information directly into photomask inspection thus bridging the gap between design and manufacturing."
The companies believe the approach can be extended to other wafer inspection, metrology and defect review applications.
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Lithography 
