Wolfe Med Tools: Fab-ulous Exposures Leave Us Semi Interested

Research evidence excerpt

Wolfe Med Tools: Fab-ulous Exposures Leave Us Semi Interested

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bonding, and heterogeneous integration. These approaches require precise alignment/inspection of multiple

layers & interconnects, driving increased metrology steps throughout manufacturing. As packaging complexity

rises, so does the demand for X-ray inspection, AFM, and materials characterization tools.

2. Fab capacity buildout. A rising tide lifts all boats. Numerous Fab buildouts announced (here, here, here) to combat

chip supply constraints. More facilities = more chemicals and metrological instruments. Although many facility

expansions and new constructions have been announced, real revenue opportunity for the our tools coverage

may not appear for years as facilities work through construction, validation, and volume ramps.

3. Desire for ‘higher yield’. Many Fabs are accepting longer ‘cycle times’ in exchange for higher yield. Cycle time =

total elapsed time it takes a wafer to move through the fab – from raw wafer to final good. Increased metrological

inspection takes additional time but helps detects problems earlier…lowering the amount of potential scrap.

4. Shift to X-ray and AFM techniques. Historically semiconductor QC has been dominated by optical techniques.

Like any piece of technology, there has been a material shift to smaller. Transistor features on chips have moved

from hundreds of nanometers to just a few nanometers today. As dimensions have shrunk, traditional optical

metrology has struggled to keep up at the level of precision required, thus increasing the need for X-ray based

approaches. Smaller transistors = tighter process control; tighter process control = need advanced metrology

techniques.

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