Nanotechnology Now - Press Release: Europe's IMEC to Use FEI's UltraView Tool Suite

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Abstract:
UltraView Takes Manufacturers From Wafers to Atoms in Minutes While Keeping Production Wafers in the Fab

Europe's IMEC to Use FEI's UltraView(TM) Tool Suite in Process R&D Line

Hillsboro, OR | February 7, 2005

FEI Company (Nasdaq: FEIC) and IMEC, Europe's leading independent nano-electronics and nano-technology research center based in Leuven, Belgium, today announced that they have commenced a joint development project (JDP) for advanced metrology and analysis techniques for (sub)-45nm technologies.

The JDP will focus on providing ultra-high resolution process diagnostic information in a production environment in support of process development for 45nm and smaller technologies. IMEC will introduce a full suite of FEI's UltraView(TM) tools in its process R&D pilot line for these development efforts.

For the measurement of critical dimensions and analysis of layers and structures in the (sub)- 45 nm node, standard imaging and analysis methods will be no longer capable of providing sufficient information that chipmakers require to accurately analyze, predict and maximize yield and transistor performance. Metrology and chemical analysis with sub-nanometer resolution will be required to develop, ramp and produce these devices, while at the same time keeping to 18-24 month process development cycles. FEI's UltraView solution was designed to meet these challenges while also allowing product wafers to continue in the manufacturing process.

Ultraview gives access to site specific, sub-angstrom resolution for both metrology and chemical analysis of structures and layers both at the surface and subsurface, with fast time to result while preserving the wafer for further processing and analysis. UltraView makes use of FEI's most advanced tools for sample preparation and ultra-high resolution imaging and analysis, including FEI's in-fab Defect Analyzer(TM) 300 HP equipped with NanoLift(TM). Identified defects are rapidly milled and transferred to a sealed transfer capsule via a fully automated process. Wafers remain in the process flow as the sample, in its sealed environment, proceeds to the lab for thinning and advanced STEM and TEM analysis. Together, these tools deliver unmatched cost of ownership for next generation semiconductor fab processes.

About FEI Company:

FEI's Tools for Nanotech(TM), featuring focused ion- and electron-beam technologies, deliver 3D characterization, analysis and modification capabilities with resolution down to the sub-Angstrom level. With R&D centers in North America and Europe, and sales and service operations in more the 40 countries around the world, FEI is bringing the nanoscale within the grasp of leading researchers and manufacturers and helping to turn some of the biggest ideas of this century into reality. More information can be found on the FEI website at: www.feicompany.com.

Contact:
Dan Zenka, APR
Corporate Communications of FEI Company
+1-503-726-2695
dzenka@feico.com

Cathy van Mastrigt
Marketing Communications of FEI Company, Europe
+31-40-276.6225
cathy.van.mastrigt@feico.com

Copyright © FEI Company

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