Microtronic Introduces WaferWeight for Precise Semiconductor Wafer Mass Monitoring During Defect Inspection

Microtronic, a developer of advanced macro defect inspection systems and software, has announced the integration of its patented WaferWeight capability into the EAGLEview line of high-speed macro defect inspection systems. This feature enables simultaneous monitoring of semiconductor wafer mass and defect inspection on a single tool, available for the EAGLEview 6 and compatible with earlier models.

WaferWeight facilitates wafer mass metrology, addressing the increasing complexity and sensitivity of semiconductor processes, particularly in deposition, etch, plating, backgrinding, bonding, and TSV steps. According to Microtronic CEO Reiner Fenske, WaferWeight allows semiconductor fabrication plants (fabs) to measure wafer mass changes quickly and accurately during macro defect inspection, eliminating the need for a separate, slower, and costlier tool. The high throughput of EAGLEview enables mass data collection from every wafer in a lot.

The WaferWeight system offers a measurement resolution as low as 0.1mg, enabling precise tracking of mass changes between process steps and across wafers in a lot. Such monitoring can identify process issues not detectable visually, flagging deviations that exceed acceptable ranges for further inspection or correction. Wafer weight data can also be integrated into Statistical Process Control (SPC) systems to enhance process moni...