
As part of the joint European Semiconductor Equipment Assessment Leveraging Innovation (SEAL) project, UK-based mass metrology form, Metryx will be working with imec and Intel Corproation to assess the use of high-resolution mass metrology at the 20nm node and below. The use of mass metrology to gauge the deposition process accuracies amongst many applications for the technology is believed to increase as node-migrations continue.
SEAL is dedicated to accelerating the market maturity of innovative and production-ready equipment, and to fostering cost-efficient equipment development in strong cooperation with equipment users, materials manufacturers and IC manufacturers.
Key mass metrology usage includes the ability in identifying silicon loss, or substrate damage, as a result of high dose implant resist stripping, which leads to changes in device characteristics that affect wafer yield and device performance.

“As we look towards the future generations of semiconductor manufacturing, funding from the SEAL project and the ability to leverage joint resources from industry-leading IC manufacturers and research institutes will give us a critical competitive advantage,” remarked Dr. Adrian Kiermasz, president and CEO of Metryx. “Mass metrology has demonstrated its value on current-generation devices and we believe its value in the manufacturing chain appreciates considerably as devices shrink.”