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Qcept and CEA-Leti join forces on advanced process development
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Qcept Technologies, Inc., the wafer inspection systems company, and
CEA-Leti, the micro- and nanotechnology research organization, have
signed an agreement that will see them collaborate on advanced
semiconductor process development. High-k and low-k dielectrics, ALD,
and FUSI metal gates are among the technologies being researched and
examined under the new agreement.
Utilising Qcept’s ChemetriQ (pictured) non-visual defect wafer
inspection technology, the two companies will undertake the process
characterization in CEA-Leti’s development facility in Grenoble, France.
"Advanced
materials and processes, such as high-k dielectrics and metal gates,
have the potential to significantly enhance the performance of future
generations of semiconductor devices. However, their complexity can
give rise to new and unique yield problems, which require innovative
inspection methods," said Adrien Danel, lead Research Engineer at
CEA-Leti. "This partnership with Qcept can help us to better
understand the yield issues surrounding these materials and processes
in order to speed their development and integration into full-scale
manufacturing."
By Síle Mc Mahon