Santa Clara, CA - Timbre Technologies announced today that Agere Systems has implemented Optical Digital Profilometry (ODP) technology provided by Timbre Technologies. Agere is using ODP for process control in several critical applications, including logic gate, shallow trench isolation and aluminum interconnect in both the lithography and etch modules.

Adopting ODP has enabled Agere to achieve accurate critical dimension (CD) measurements, digital cross-section profiles and other metrology results not available using traditional top-down CDSEM metrology. As a result, the company has been able to better control several critical processes, enabling them to improve cycle time and decrease process perturbations in their advanced 200mm manufacturing facility in Orlando, Florida.

Semiconductor industry metrologists are quickly realizing the benefit of controlling critical processes through full device profile analysis rather than by interpreting a single figure of merit. Timbre's ODP technology enables engineers to retrieve device cross sections inline, without sacrificing wafers or cycle time to laborious, destructive traditional cross sectional methods. Through ODP profile control of key layers in the manufacturing process, Agere will be able to realize significant improvements in process optimization and characterizations. These improvements are largely attributed to the reduction of CD excursions in etch processes, reduction of rework in lithography along with improved measurement accuracy. Additional value will be realized through the tightening of process windows via ODP profile analysis.



Optical Digital Profilometry (ODP) is a breakthrough metrology technology using penetrating broadband light to provide non-destructive, high-speed, digital, cross-sectional profiles, including user-selected CDs, profile parameters, and thickness measurements for a wide range of applications. ODP has quickly become the most widely accepted optical approach for process improvement, exceeding the ITRS metrology precision roadmap for many future nodes.

About Timbre Technologies, Inc.

Timbre Technologies is the developer of Optical Digital Profilometry (ODP), a breakthrough metrology technology using penetrating broadband light to provide non-destructive, high-speed, digital, cross-sectional profiles, including user-selected CDs, profile parameters, and thickness measurements for a wide range of applications. ODP has quickly become the most widely accepted optical approach for process improvement, exceeding the ITRS metrology precision roadmap for many future nodes. ODP benefits include reduction of cost-of-ownership while improving the standards of accuracy, repeatability, process control, and defect reduction.

In production at leading memory and logic device manufacturers around the world, ODP is used as a stand-alone solution, and is now also being integrated into TEL process tools for a wide variety of applications.



Timbre Technologies, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Tokyo Electron Limited (TEL), develops, manufactures, and markets advanced software solutions for the semiconductor and other solid state industries. www.timbrecom.com * (ODP is a trademark of Tokyo Electron Limited in the United States).