Jul 14 2009
Nanometrics Incorporated (Nasdaq: NANO), a leader in the design, manufacture and marketing of high-performance process control metrology systems used primarily in the manufacturing of semiconductors, solar photovoltaics and high-brightness LEDs, today announced the delivery of a Unifire metrology system equipped with the Advanced Film Capability (AFC) option. The Unifire technology configured with AFC enables the simultaneous, nondestructive measurement of film thickness and step height metrology within the industry's smallest test areas and targets. This system is a follow-on order currently being qualified to support a leading hard drive manufacturer's production capacity for advanced magnetic heads.
"We are pleased with the traction of the Unifire product in both the semiconductor and magnetic head manufacturing sectors. Unifire systems are being placed into specific segments that leverage the unique capabilities of the interferometer measurement technology," commented Michael Darwin, Vice President of the Unifire Product Group at Nanometrics. "Our customers are deploying the Unifire systems to monitor critical process parameters including device topography, film thickness and step height, many of which can only be observed non-destructively with our proprietary small-spot AFC technology."
Nanometrics' Unifire platform has been deployed across front-end manufacturing and advanced packaging processes in applications including lithography, etch, chemical mechanical polishing (CMP) and thin film deposition.