Japan Fab Purchases Rudolph AXi System for Inspection of Automotive Devices
Macro inspection edges into space previously occupied by high-cost micro tools
FLANDERS, NJ (October 1, 2007)- Rudolph Technologies, Inc.(NASDAQ: RTEC), a leading provider of process characterization solutions for the semiconductor manufacturing industry, today announced it has sold an AXi Automated Macro Defect Inspection System to a leading Japanese company in the automotive sector for inspection of automotive devices.
"Our customer was using a micro inspection tool that was due to be replaced, and following an extensive evaluation, selected the Rudolph AXi Macro Defect Inspection System. The AXi offered the performance they needed-throughput, sensitivity, and ease-of-use-all at a much lower cost-of-ownership than a new micro inspection tool," said Yasuomi Uchida, chairman and representative director of Rudolph Technologies KK.
"This sale is part of a growing trend in the industry today," said Scott Balak, Rudolph's AXi product manager. "For select applications, fabs have replaced their old, high-cost micro inspection tools with our advanced macro defect inspection systems. With higher throughput and lower cost-of-ownership than micro tools, and better sensitivity than many competitive macro tools, the AXi seems to be hitting the sweet spot for a growing number of applications, particularly in markets like automotive."
The AXi 935 System offers significantly improved throughput over previous models while maintaining the sensitivity to detect defects down to 0.5 microns. It is particularly useful for outgoing quality assurance (OQA) and CMP applications that require higher resolution than most macro tools can offer. The AXi is a key component of Rudolph's all-surface inspection technology which, when configured with edge and backside inspection modules, can detect and correlate defects on all surfaces of the wafer. Rudolph's automatic defect classification, defect review, and yield management software helps manufacturers use the inspection data to reduce manufacturing costs and accelerate time to market.
The AXi 935 System is scheduled to ship to the Japan fab in 4Q07.
Rudolph Technologies is a worldwide leader in the design, development, manufacture and support of high-performance process control metrology, defect inspection and data analysis systems used by semiconductor device manufacturers. Rudolph provides a full-fab solution through its families of proprietary products that provide critical yield-enhancing information, enabling microelectronic device manufacturers to drive down costs and time to market. The company has enhanced the competitiveness of its products in the marketplace by anticipating and addressing many emerging trends driving the semiconductor industry's growth. Rudolph's strategy for continued technological and market leadership includes aggressive research and development of complementary metrology and inspection solutions. Headquartered in Flanders, New Jersey, Rudolph supports its customers with a worldwide sales and service organization. Additional information can be found on the company's web site at www.rudolphtech.com.
