In summer 2020, KLA Corporation announced the formation of KLA Instruments™, a group that develops, markets and services measurement and defect inspection systems that are used primarily by research and development departments in universities and industrial labs.
KLA Instruments offers a portfolio of products including optical and stylus profilometers, nanoindenters, benchtop film metrology systems, specialized defect inspection systems, and their new line of benchtop sheet resistance measurement systems.
We interviewed KLA General Manager Tom Pierson about the group’s mission, offerings, and key differentiators.
What is KLA Instruments’ Mission?
At KLA, we understand that yield and performance are critical for our customers. The KLA Instruments group expands that understanding to include not just semi, but a variety of other industries as well, from compound semiconductor to biotech.
We develop, market and service measurement and defect inspection systems that are used primarily by research and development departments in universities and industrial labs.
Our mission is to deliver trusted measurement solutions across a wide range of industries and laboratories – from academia to high-volume manufacturing, enabling new breakthrough technologies.
How is KLA Instruments Different from KLA?
KLA is known for its innovative engineering and service teams, rigorous operating model and global infrastructure. Our discipline through the Product Life Cycle helps bring innovation to market.
Where we differ lies in our approach to providing solutions as well as focused service support, specifically for the Instruments group. For example, our Filmetrics® team provides customers with support from applications engineers within minutes, no matter where our customers are located.
We do this 24 hours a day, five days a week, and consistently ensure our solutions are aligned with our customers’ success.
What are KLA Instruments’ Key Products?
Our tools range from benchtop units to fully automated systems, with technical innovation going back to 1977. Our “Fabs and Labs” Instruments portfolio includes defect inspection systems for compound semi markets and HDD media, with the Candela® 8520 tool released this year for defect inspection on SiC and GaN-based power devices.
The Instruments group also includes thin-film measurement tools, stylus and 3D optical profilers, nanoindenters for materials characterization, and a new benchtop sheet resistance mapping tool.
Image Credit: KLA Instruments™
A filtration layer from an N95 face mask was analyzed for UVC exposure effects on the nanomechanical and topographic properties using the KLA Instruments Nano Indenter® G200X and the Zeta-20 optical profiler. Image Credit: KLA Instruments™
What Industries are Being Served by KLA Instruments?
Because the KLA Instruments products are designed to address general surface engineering measurements, our tools can measure most solid materials, including multi-layer structures. Some of the key industries KLA Instruments serves include automotive, aerospace, communications and networking, clean energy, and compound semiconductors.
How is KLA Instruments Collaborating with Academia?
We work closely with both our industry and academic partners. Our popular webinar series offer insight into a variety of topics across all Instruments products.
Our Indentation University, a series of webinars and videos and lab workbooks created together with university professors, provides students with hands-on experience in mechanical testing and material science.
Learn more about the KLA Instruments group by checking out our website here.
This information has been sourced, reviewed and adapted from materials provided by KLA Corporation.
For more information on this source, please visit KLA Corporation.