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With geometries getting smaller, macro inspection becomes both more challenging and crucial for defect-free and high-yield wafer manufacturing. The variety of defects calls for detection optimization, fast screening and categorization of the high volume manufacturing environment, while maintaining high throughput.

Macro inspection challenges vary from one process step to another, and include:

• In the lithography process step, defects of interest include: Defocus, bad coatings, blocked contacts, bridging, missing or extra patterns and critical dimension variation;
• In the etch process step, defects of interest include: Particles, pinholes, peeling, residues, water marks, scratches and corrosion;
• In the chemical mechanical polishing (CMP) process steps, defects of interest include: Scratch detection, residue detection, unpolished/insufficiently polished areas and brush marks;
• In the outgoing quality control (OQC) process step, defects of interest include: particles, pinholes, peeling, residues, water marks, scratches and corrosion.

Camtek’s Eagle platform can handle all these challenges and detect typical defects of interest at high volume manufacturing environment.