Over 85 percent of all S-series tools sold in 2003 were for 300 mm processing
Flanders, N.J., January 9, 2004 - Rudolph Technologies, Inc. (Nasdaq: RTEC) today announced the sale of an S300-ultra™ metrology system to the CEA-Leti Advanced R&D Center, Grenoble, France, for the Nanotec 300 program ― a consortium involving ST Micro, Philips, and Motorola. Nanotec 300 focuses on developing the 300 mm processes that will transfer to production at the 45 nm technology node. Nanotec 300 will use the S300-ultra for measuring the ultrathin transparent films required for advanced gates including thin oxides and high-κ dielectrics.
"The S300-ultra from Rudolph offered the most accurate and repeatable thin film metrology for characterizing advanced front-end materials," said Mehdi Moussavi, Nanotec 300 program manager, CEA-Leti Research Institute. "Our selection goes beyond product specifications and price ― we are very satisfied with Rudolph's technical support and flexibility. We feel confident that Rudolph will work with us to develop and support the new metrology applications which we will need for the 45 nm technology node."
"The sale of this S300-ultra marks an important milestone for Rudolph," said Dr. George Collins, Rudolph's vice president of marketing. "In addition to being selected by Nanotec 300 for its advanced front-end process development, this sale also marks the crossover point for 300 mm systems ― we have surpassed the number of S-series tools sold for 200 mm wafer production. Rudolph has been a pioneer in producing metrology equipment for 300 mm manufacturing, selling the first system in 1998. In 2003, 85 percent of all S-series sales were for 300 mm wafer production. This demonstrates that semiconductor manufacturers are confident that Rudolph metrology tools will meet the needs of their 300 mm fabs for both current and next-generation process nodes."
Rudolph's S-series systems are designed to meet next-generation metrology challenges by providing superior accuracy and repeatability when measuring ultrathin films, advanced gate materials, low-κ dielectric materials, 193 nm ARCs, and SiGe. The unique combination of laser ellipsometry andphotomultiplier-DUV reflectometry enables characterization of rapidly changing gate stack processes, including the ability to measure the thickness and nitrogen concentration of sub-20 Å nitrided gate oxides, as well as the HfO2 and HfSiXOX high-κ dielectric materials that will be introduced at the 45 nm technology node.
About Rudolph Technologies, Inc.
Rudolph Technologies is a worldwide leader in the design, development, manufacture, and support of high-performance process control metrology systems used by semiconductor device manufacturers. The Company provides a full-fab solution through its families of proprietary systems for metrology applications used throughout the device manufacturing process. Rudolph's product development has successfully anticipated and addressed many emerging trends that are driving the semiconductor industry's growth. The Company's success in creating complementary metrology applications through aggressive research and development is key to Rudolph's strategy for continued technological and market leadership.
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