Suitable for detecting a wide variety of defects in the sub-micron to five-micron range, the 8900 is the fastest of all KLA-Tencor patterned-wafer defect inspection systems. Based on the production-proven Puma platform, the 8900 enables cost-effective inspection of 200mm or 300mm wafers from initial product development through volume production. The 8900 defect inspection system features several advances designed to enable semiconductor manufacturers to accelerate delivery of their products, reliably and at lower cost:

• Simultaneous brightfield and darkfield optical paths to capture a wide range of defect types in a single pass
• LED inspection and review illumination with selectable spectrum
• Sensitivity range complementary to that of KLA-Tencor’s micro-defect inspection systems, Puma 9XXX Series and 28XX Series
• Throughput up to 110 wafers per hour at production sensitivities, for 300mm semiconductor wafers
• Automated rules-based binning of defects by type
• Region-based nuisance suppression and partial-die capability for maximum inspected area
• Robust wafer alignment and quick, intuitive care-area setup using die image
• Automated wafer and lot disposition for line and tool monitoring.
• Automated brightfield color review for reliable defect sizing and type verification
• Hybrid configuration to accommodate 200mm or 300mm wafers

Applications

Image Sensors: The 8900 defect inspection system represents a single, flexible solution to address the wide range of defect challenges that arise during the manufacturing of CMOS image sensors. The 8900's selectable illumination wavelengths are color-matched to the pixels of the color filter array (CFA), and its inspection pixel size is a good fit to the CMOS image sensor roadmap. As yield-limiting defects can occur at any step in the assembly process, the 8900's ability to inspect any of the CFA or micro-lens layers can help reduce materials waste and cycle time.

CMP: Cost-effective detection and binning of scratches and metal residue are key benefits of the 8900 defect inspection system's simultaneous brightfield/darkfield architecture and flexible illumination spectrum. The 8900 has at least twice the throughput of alternative inspection systems, enabling higher wafer sampling or even full lot inspection to more quickly capture defect excursions for advanced production nodes.

Films: The 8900 defect inspection system can capture and bin etch and sputter flakes as well as particles to monitor etch or deposition chambers for flaking or arcing.

Outgoing Quality Control (OQC): Providing final material disposition, the 8900 defect inspection system can identify bad dice and electronically ink-out defects such as pad residues, bubbles, pinholes, striation and defective pixels.

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