For every near- and long-term performance enhancement and cost-effective chip manufacturing "grand challenge" laid out in the new ITRS's executive summary, there is a stated or inferred need for improved metrology, inspection, and process characterization, control, and analysis equipment and practices. 

Whether it's measuring the electrical and physical properties of increasingly complex film stacks on the front end or examining the multilayered interconnect structures at the back end, the metrology challenges are daunting enough down around 32-nm half pitches---and that's just for starters.

Getting accurate, real-time measurements at the atomic scale on emerging device structures entering the fabs for the first time, doing so nondestructively and repeatably, in a production setting with more elements from the periodic table than you can shake a scanning probe tip at, will be a precipitously uphill struggle. Then, of course, all these next-generation metrology and APC tools must be integrated at the facilitywide and enterprisewide levels, something that's difficult enough to do in what passes for today's state-of-the-art fab. Even before the new-fangled 3-D carbon nanotube FINFET whatsits even get into any kind of volume, there's a real question of whether the comprehensive metrology toolset will be ready for the development work required.

Although metrology is one of the roadmap's so-called cross-cutting technology working groups, its importance to further CMOS---and post-CMOS--- advancements and the continuing adjudication of Moore's Law has never been more pronounced. Everywhere you look on the roadmap, for every angstrom-level, wacky material film layer or structure coming down the pike, the need for robust measurement and control cries out louder than ever.

Since the metrology challenges facing the semiconductor industry require a full-court press, all hands on deck, a total team effort, the best and the brightest, etc etc., last week's announcement that Rudolph Technologies has become the first equipment company to join Sematech's metrology program at the College of Nanoscale Science and Engineering (CNSE) at the University of Albany (NY) was a welcome bit of news. The partners (including ISMI) will start up an International Process Characterization program (add new three-letter acronym, IPC, to glossary) at Albany NanoTech, which will "accelerate the development and application of measurement methods for advanced (32 nm and beyond) semiconductor technologies."

As one would expect, Rudolph, Sematech, and CNSE execs all were quoted in gushing terms in the official press release about how "pleased," "delighted," and "excited" they were and how it was a "truly unique opportunity for collaboration" among "some of the best minds in the industry." But there is good reason for not curbing their collective burst of enthusiasm.

Sematech's revamped collaborative model, which now reaches out to equipment and materials companies to participate in "focused R&D" with members of the consortium, reflects a healthy development in the area of precompetitive cooperation. Tokyo Electron had already come on board last fall as the very first associate member from the supplier ranks, as part of the 3-D interconnect program. Rudolph, through mergers and acquisition as well as organic internal development, has emerged as a leading purveyor of inspection, metrology, and data-wrangling systems and software, so the company brings a significant skill set to the effort.

To find out more about the new Sematech program and Rudolph's role in it, I contacted both parties for some additional input. One obvious question is, will there be more associate companies soon? Sematech's Albany exec John Warlaumont said that announcements about "companies on board and coming on board are pending," mostly in the "areas of metrology, 3-D (interconnect), and lithography." Although unstated by either party, one wonders if and when the biggest player in the metrology segment---KLA-Tencor---might come join the party.

There's also an interesting case of former Sematech employees being involved in the IPC from both the Rudolph and academia sides. The company's COO, Alex Oscilowski, worked at the consortium for years and was a key part of the initial leadership team when Sematech deployed its northern flank in Albany. Alain Diebold, long a name synonymous at the consortium with the eloquent explanation of the measurement and control of very small things, took a professorial gig last year at the university, where he is the executive director of nanoscale metrology.

I asked Warlaumont if the former Sematecher's role at Rudolph played any part in helping to bring the agreement to fruition. "There's no question that we have a good relationship with Alex, and that he knows Sematech's capabilities, staff, and programs well. That was certainly a facilitating factor in the agreement." Ardy Johnson, the equipment company's VP of marketing, echoed Warlaumont's comments, saying that "Alex's knowledge of Sematech helped to facilitate the program, but our broad reach of technology and commitment to the program played an important role in getting this effort off the ground."

As for Professor Diebold's role, Warlaumont answered in general terms that "Sematech and CNSE have a close, comprehensive relationship in the area of metrology, and Alain is a key member of the CNSE metrology organization. We'll be working closely with CNSE personnel in developing a comprehensive metrology program." 

While Rudolph will have "dedicated personnel with equipment, applications, and process management focus as part of our commitment," according to Johnson, the "facility layout has not yet been fully defined," adding that the company "is not expected to 'own' a designated space in the complex." But the IPC program is "already under way, and is based on all-surface macro inspection," since a top priority, also cited by Warlaumont, is bevel edge inspection for several applications.

Rudolph's macro inspection system, which incorporates both front- and backside as well as edge capabilities, was shipped to the center in December, in addition to the company's Yield Optimizer data management system, said Johnson. "The long-term intent is to incorporate [our] full line of inspection and metrology equipment."

In addition to the key immersion lithography defectivity issue of edge-bead removal and the general need for "understanding the dynamics at the wafer edge," other specific areas of research focus include the measurement of through-silicon vias (TSVs), since "the industry believes that manufacturing costs can be mitigated by TSVs, instead of advanced lithography," explains Johnson. "This gets into via bonding which is of particular interest."

"We are [also] looking closely at utilization of Yield Optimizer in an effort to understand process parameters and how they relate to yield management," although the "the initial purpose is utilizing Yield Optimizer to improve R&D efficiency. Applying its neural network characterization, we can look at optimal process solutions." The press release also noted that cost-of -ownership criteria must be met in all IPC projects, so bang for the metrology buck will be a key metric. 

It's obvious that Rudolph is quite thrilled about joining with Sematech and the benefits the relationship will provide both to the industry and to the company itself---in addition to the potential competitive implications, as Johnson explains. "Large suppliers, such as KLA, have an advantage simply because of their broad presence in the fab. We don't have the insight into roadmaps and the new challenges they possess. This program give us more insight into the next-generation issues and development needs. The industry needs competitors that can compete on a level field, and those competitors need similar insights into the issues.

"The development work at Albany is just one example of how we stay abreast of new trends. For example, we have initiated partnering relationships with other equipment suppliers such as ASML and TEL, and the opportunity certainly exists to triangulate efforts between all players."

Perhaps "triangulation" could become one of the new buzzwords in the collaborative semiconductor manufacturing furniture shop, where the three legs of the proverbial stool are the chipmakers, the equipment and materials companies, and their erstwhile partners in consortia/academia. It's certainly not a new concept, but one that seems to be getting sturdier all the time.