Rudolph Technologies Delivers Cost Effective, High-Performance Inspection Solution to Meet Unique Requirements at European Fab
Rudolph's depth of application knowledge and breadth of inspection solutions continues to advance market share leadership
San Francisco, CA (July 11, 2006)-Rudolph Technologies, Inc. (NASDAQ: RTEC), the market leader in macro defect inspection, today announced a repeat order for multiple NSX(TM) 115 Macro Defect Inspection systems for installation at two fabs owned by a large European semiconductor manufacturer. The multiple-unit sale initiates a program to standardize inspection equipment across the fab for a wide range of products and manufacturing technologies.
"A major challenge was providing a tool that would fit with this customer's broad range of products and applications, and to do so in a cost effective manner, " said Rajiv Roy, marketing director at Rudolph. "For example, in one process they work with ultra-thin wafers less than one hundred micrometers thick. The installed base with probe mark inspection and our applications experience in handling a broad variety of bond-pad types played a key role in the selection process."
The Rudolph tools will be used to monitor critical final manufacturing processes such as probe mark inspection, post-saw inspection, and outgoing quality control (OQA) on a wide variety of products including high-performance automotive devices fabricated on silicon and silicon carbide wafers. "We participated in a fairly lengthy evaluation," Roy continued. "The criteria included accommodating literally over a thousand different product types as well as the flexibility to address inspection needs at different process points. At the end, we were able to offer the highest performance, greatest flexibility, and lowest cost of ownership for the customer's complex mix of products."
Rudolph's NSX Inspection system is a high-throughput macro defect inspection solution that is able to detect defects as small as 0.5 micrometers. It is used primarily for applications in back-end semiconductor manufacturing processes, such as probing, bumping, dicing, and general handling, which can have a major impact on OQA and yield.
The NSX quickly and accurately detects yield-inhibiting defects, providing quality assurance and valuable process information. In combination with Rudolph's edge inspection and backside inspection systems, the NSX can detect and correlate defects on all surfaces of a wafer.
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.
Investors:
Steven R. Roth
973.448.4302
steven.roth@rudolphtech.com
Trade Press:
Virginia Becker
952.259.1647
virginia.becker@rudolphtech.com
