Hitachi High-Tech Launches High-sensitivity and High-throughput Wafer Surface Inspection System LS9300AD for Wafer Manufacturers

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Hitachi High-Tech Corporation announced the launch of the LS9300AD, a new system for inspecting the front and backside of non-patterned wafer surfaces for particles and defects. In addition to the conventional dark-field laser scattering detection of foreign material and defects, the LS9300AD is equipped with a new DIC (Differential Interference Contrast) inspection function that enables detection of irregular defects, even shallow, low aspect microscopic defects. LS9300AD has the wafer edge grip method and rotating stage currently used in conventional products to enabling front and backside wafer inspection.With the introduction of LS9300AD, Hitachi High-Tech enables reduced inspection costs and improved yield for semiconductor wafers and semiconductor device manufacturers by providing high-sensitivity and high-throughput detection of low-aspect microscopic defects.

Inspection of non-patterned semiconductor wafers' (before circuit pattern formation) surfaces and backside surfaces has been used in quality assurance during wafers shipment and acceptance, as well as for particles control in various semiconductor device manufacturing processes.Semiconductor wafers manufacturers, use it for quality control to inspect defects and particles that occur during the wafer manufacturing process. In recent years, semiconductor devices have become smaller and more complex, so the size of defects and foreign matter that affect yield in the semiconductor device manufacturing process has become smaller. Due to this, the need for managing all types of defects, including low-aspect microscopic defects on the surface and backside of wafers, is increasing. Responding to the changes in the social environment semiconductor production is expected to increase. To control inspection costs, high-sensitivity and high-throughput inspection equipment is required.