SAN JOSE, Calif., February 19, 2003-Setting a new standard in lithography process control for the 65-nm node and beyond, KLA-Tencor (NASDAQ: KLAC) today introduced Archer AIM, its most advanced optical overlay metrology solution. An industry first, Archer AIM leverages a new grating-style technology to significantly reduce the measurement uncertainty associated with traditional overlay metrology for sub-100-nm design rules. By providing data that correlates precisely to in-device overlay performance, Archer AIM enables lithographers to manage their processes with a higher degree of confidence, thereby achieving tighter overlay control. In addition to reducing the costly wafer rework and scrap associated with overlay errors, Archer AIM enables chip manufacturers to accelerate their transition to future technology nodes. Several leading chipmakers and industry consortiums have already adopted Archer AIM for developing their advanced processes.

Traditional metrics no longer adequate at 65-nm node
"As design rules shrink and wafer processing becomes more complex, traditional metrics of overlay performance are becoming less and less adequate," stated Kurt Ronse, director of the lithography department at IMEC. "Contributions to the overlay metrology error budget from wafer processing, such as chemical mechanical planarization (CMP) and deposition, are playing a more dominant role and must be understood as we move toward the 65-nm node. Therefore, overlay metrology marks have to become less sensitive to these process variations and be more representative of the critical device features to be printed."

Aggressive resolution enhancement techniques (RETs) and shrinking design rules are contributing to the collapse of overlay process windows. This, in turn, is driving the need for more sophisticated overlay metrology methods to maintain tighter overlay control and achieve higher yields. At the 65-nm node, reducing systematic overlay errors by 6 nm can result in one percent less rework-representing a productivity savings of more than $500K for each scanner on the production floor. Current overlay metrology methods use large test structures, called box-in-box targets, which are built into the scribe lines of product wafers to provide a general account of the stability and accuracy of the overlay process. At the 65-nm node, the data provided by these structures no longer correlates to the process conditions that affect the actual device during patterning, such as lens aberration and defocus. In addition, these box-in-box targets are highly susceptible to CMP processes, which can cause the targets to degrade and provide inaccurate overlay data.

Dramatic improvement to stepper correctibles
"At the 90-nm node and below, a one-size-fits-all overlay target design is not going to provide the quality of data required to adequately control the process," stated John Allgair, metrology section manager at Motorola's Dan Noble Center. "An evaluation of Archer AIM's new measurement technology against the traditional box-in-box structures indicates that AIM technology delivers a dramatic improvement in the ability to make rapid and accurate stepper corrections."

Traditional overlay metrology tools base their performance solely on precision, matching and tool-induced-shift. While these metrics are still important, the new overlay challenges associated with sub-100-nm design rules are driving the need for tools that take into account new parameters, such as feature size pattern placement (device correlation) and mark fidelity (process robustness), both of which are increasingly critical to the overall performance of overlay metrology. Unlike other overlay metrology tools, KLA-Tencor's Archer AIM system addresses these new parameters in addition to offering industry leading precision and matching-filling in this critical metrology gap.

Archer AIM: Reducing total measurement uncertainty
Archer AIM's new grating-style targets are denser than traditional box-in-box targets, resulting in the collection of more process information for improved correlation to in-device overlay performance. Another advantage of Archer targets is that they can be customized (segmented) for each layer to meet specific customer requirements. Due to their unique grating design, Archer targets are also more robust to CMP processing, especially with new materials, since the targets have less open area within which these advanced processes can cause target degradation. These benefits, combined with Archer AIM's industry-leading precision performance, enable the system to significantly reduce the total measurement uncertainty compared to existing overlay metrology solutions.

Archer AIM is based on KLA-Tencor's Archer platform, a mature and widely adopted overlay platform with more than 100 Archer 10 systems in the field. With a throughput greater than 150 300-mm wafers per hour, Archer AIM provides a 25 percent increase in sampling rate and cost of ownership compared to the Archer 10. KLA-Tencor is currently accepting orders for Archer AIM, and upgrade paths to the new system are available.

"Every day, our customers face new process control challenges as they migrate to smaller design rules. For them, maximizing their fab profitability is harder than ever," stated Avi Cohen, senior vice president and general manager of the Overlay Metrology Division at KLA-Tencor. "We're pleased to introduce another product that will help our customers to keep pace with the semiconductor roadmap. We believe Archer AIM represents a giant leap forward in overlay control, and that it will play a key role in enabling our customers to achieve higher yields as they transition to future technology nodes."

KLA-Tencor will showcase Archer AIM at the SPIE Microlithography 2003 conference, February 25-26, at booth # 942 in the Santa Clara Convention Center in Santa Clara, Calif. Poster papers on this new technology will be presented at KLA-Tencor's fourth annual Lithography Users Forum on February 23 at the Techmart in Santa Clara.

About KLA-Tencor: KLA-Tencor is the world leader in yield management and process control solutions for semiconductor manufacturing and related industries. Headquartered in San Jose, Calif., with operations around the world, KLA-Tencor ranked #6 on S&P's 2002 index of the top 500 companies in the U.S. KLA-Tencor is traded on the Nasdaq National Market under the symbol KLAC.

Contact:
Meggan Powers
Director Corporate Communications