August 6, 2012 - PRNewswire -- A “leading semiconductor technology innovator” ordered Qcept Technologies Inc.’s ChemetriQ 5000 non-visual defect (NVD) inspection system for unit process development and process integration activities for advanced nodes, including 2Xnm and 1Xnm logic nodes for both front-end-of-line and back-end-of-line processes.

Applying the ChemetriQ 5000’s metrology characteristics for unit process development and process integration enables new looks at the surface characteristics of the wafer after a single process step, as well as how the surface characteristics evolve through an integrated process flow. NVD inspection enables leading-edge fabs to identify yield-loss-inducing issues that do not match any physical defect data. Also read: Impact of charge during gate oxide patterning on yield by Jungtae Park, Samsung Electronics Co.; Sungjin Cho and Jeff Hawthorne, Qcept Technologies Inc.

Qcept's ChemetriQ platform is being adopted in critical processes for inline, non-contact, full-wafer detection of such NVDs as sub-monolayer organic and metallic residues, process-induced charging, and other undesired surface non-uniformities that cannot be detected by conventional optical inspection equipment.

"The ability of the ChemetriQ 5000 to inspect any wafer at any layer at any time without requiring a change in recipe makes it uniquely suited for the type of advanced process development and integration work that this customer is doing," stated Robert Newcomb, executive vice president of Qcept Technologies. The customer, headquartered in North America, was not named in the release.

Qcept Technologies delivers wafer inspection solutions for non-visual defect (NVD) detection in advanced semiconductor manufacturing. More information can be found at www.qceptech.com.

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