KLA-Tencor Enables Production Monitoring for High-Brightness LED Market with New Automated Wafer Inspection System
SAN JOSE, Calif., Nov. 9 / -- KLA-Tencor (NASDAQ:KLAC) today introduced the Candela CS20 -- the first automated wafer inspection system designed to address the defect management requirements of the rapidly growing high-brightness light-emitting diode (HB-LED) market. Leveraging a proprietary, multi-channel detection architecture, the CS20 can inspect transparent wafers and epi layers for micro-pits and other defects non-destructively at throughputs of up to 25 wafers per hour -- enabling, for the first time, a true production line monitor for wafers used to produce HB- LED devices. Multiple leading HB-LED manufacturers and suppliers in Asia and North America have already implemented the CS20 in their production lines.
The demand for more energy-efficient lighting in an ever-expanding array of consumer and commercial applications -- such as backlighting for cell phones, televisions and other consumer electronics, as well as outdoor signs, automotive lighting, and commercial and industrial lighting -- has created significant growth opportunities for HB-LED manufacturers. According to market research firm Strategies Unlimited, the HB-LED market is expected to reach $7 billion by 2009. "To reduce costs and drive market adoption, HB-LED manufacturers must improve production yields," stated Dr. Robert Steele, principal analyst and director of the optoelectronics practice at Strategies Unlimited. "Defect control and process uniformity are both critical to achieving and improving HB-LED device yields."
During HB-LED production, contaminants such as particles and stains can alter film characteristics or cause adhesion problems for subsequent layers. Surface and sub-surface defects, crystal dislocations and excessive roughness can impact subsequent processes and substantially degrade device performance and yield. Traditional inspection methods rely on manual review by an operator -- making them extremely slow, unreliable, and often destructive. In addition, these methods are not easily scaled up to meet increasing production volumes. KLA-Tencor's CS20 system is the only inspection solution with the sensitivity, versatility and throughput needed for both process development and epi-growth production control for HB-LED manufacturing.
Different defects have varying spatial signatures and require different detection techniques and approaches. The CS20 combines four detection methods (optical profilometry, scatterometry, phase shift and reflectometry) to inspect the wafer non-destructively -- both on the surface and within the substrate or epi layers. The platform is designed to be highly flexible and can inspect a wide range of materials, including transparent wafers such as sapphire, gallium nitride (GaN) and silicon carbide (SiC), as well as epi layers like GaN and SiC. It can detect a wide variety of killer defects, including micro-pits, crystal defects, lattice mismatch, stains and particles. The CS20's automated defect classification capability allows customers to filter out nuisance defects and quickly zero in on the killer defects of interest. As a result, HB-LED manufacturers can conduct more rapid root-cause analysis to speed process development, as well as quickly fine-tune production processes to optimize yields and achieve higher revenues per wafer.
"The HB-LED market offers the potential to significantly impact the way we work and live," stated Jeff Donnelly, vice president and general manager of KLA-Tencor's Growth and Emerging Markets (GEM) Division. "KLA-Tencor recognizes that the production of high-quality HB-LEDs is a challenging process that, like other semiconductor manufacturing processes, requires special tools for monitoring and control. KLA-Tencor is committed to working with HB-LED manufacturers to improve yields and lower costs."
The CS20 is the first new product to come out of KLA-Tencor's recent acquisition of Candela Instruments, a leading supplier of inspection systems for the data storage, compound semiconductor and digital imaging markets.
KLA-Tencor is currently accepting orders for the Candela CS20.
About KLA-Tencor: KLA-Tencor is the world leader in yield management and process control solutions for semiconductor manufacturing and related industries. Headquartered in San Jose, Calif., the company has sales and service offices around the world. An S&P 500 company, KLA-Tencor was named one of the Best Managed Companies in America for 2005 by Forbes Magazine and is the only company in the semiconductor industry to receive the accolade for this year. KLA-Tencor is traded on the Nasdaq National Market under the symbol KLAC. Additional information about the company is available on the Internet at http://www.kla-tencor.com/
NOTE: Candela is a trademark of KLA-Tencor.
CONTACT: Lisa Garcia, Marketing Communications Manager of KLA-Tencor, +1-408-875-6033, or lisa.garcia@kla-tencor.com
