Lasertec has launched X810 series, the latest model of the MATRICS systems, offering remarkably improved inspection capability compared to the X700/X700HiT series. The X810 series has achieved superior defect detection sensitivity by featuring a new objective lens with higher-NA, a 50nm pixel size, a high power 213nm laser, and a new highly rigid stage.
Quality assurance of photomasks is very important to achieve high yield in semiconductor device production. Periodic inspection of masks is indispensable for detection of "haze" (chemically grown particles by DUV exposure), which remains an unsolved problem for wafer fabs using ArF lithography. Furthermore, as finer design rules are applied to IC patterns, more frequent inspections of photomasks will be required. EUV masks require high-sensitivity inspections at even shorter intervals because pellicles cannot be used to keep particles and contamination away from pattern surfaces. Therefore, mask inspection systems must be able to perform high-sensitivity inspection at a very high speed. MATRICS X810 series has been developed to meet this requirement, making it an effective inspection tool for leading-edge wafer fabs and mask shops.
Lasertec has a long history and can draw on a high level of technical expertise in the field of semiconductor photomask inspection. Lasertec developed the world's first photomask inspection system in 1976. The current MATRICS X700/X700HiT series has been widely adopted by wafer fabs and mask shops in Japan, Korea, Taiwan, Germany, the United States and China for its high sensitivity, high availability, and low cost of ownership.