Mastering competing priorities requires intimate understanding of your product and process, as well as real-time information.

SURAGUS’ non-contact eddy current technology allows early-stage detection, layer monitoring, and process control. When integrated into a PVD cluster tool, this type of electrical characterization offers:

• incredible accuracy without risking harm to sensitive films, and without tool downtime
• measurements for encapsulated films and multilayer systems
• high-speed measurements with no contact to layers to help you examine your product and process inside and out.

The EddyCus® map 2530 Series is a versatile mapping and imaging tool designed to help you master your product. These fast, precise mapping devices will help you achieve higher coating and substrate quality using SURAGUS’ non-contact eddy current technology and powerful, easy-to-use software.

This high-resolution mapping technology can image substrates up to 12 inches, can characterize hidden and encapsulated conductive layers, and can be used to evaluate sheet resistance, metal thickness, and resistivity conductivity of wafers, boules, ingots, layers, etc.

Winners of the 2013 & 2016 JEC Group Innovation Award, SURAGUS offers portable hand-held devices, table-sized benchtop testing solutions, robot based systems, and standard and custom inline solutions.

Earlier this year, we had the chance to visit SURAGUS in Dresden, Germany. The Dresden area, nicknamed Silicon Saxony, is home to more than 300 microelectronics companies and a highly skilled workforce of over 40,000 employees. It’s one of the oldest and most prominent centers for semiconductor manufacturing in the world.

For Marcus Klein, the managing director, it was an obvious choice for SURAGUS to lay its foundation. Surrounded by customers, universities, and an amazing workforce, SURAGUS has grown to be a driver of this economic engine for more than a decade.

Something we love about their testing technology is how it extends what’s possible. The sensors can get really close to the edge of a wafer, yielding more sellable die per wafer. And their software improvements allow engineers to examine results in new and powerful ways.

If you have particular requirements to discuss, please let us know. We’d be happy to arrange and online conversation with SURAGUS technologists, and if appropriate, we can make arrangements for measurement of your samples.

Sincerely, ETR

ETR is a sales representative and marketing firm based in Austin, TX serving a world wide customer base. We seek out principals that avoid surprises while delivering ontime solutions that give customers more than they expect.

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SemiProbe manufactures a family of manual and semiautomatic Double Sided Probing (DSP) systems. More and more applications are requiring the ability to probe from both sides of a die or wafer. Most DSP solutions involve one of the following scenarios:

• Simultaneously probe from both sides
• Probe from the top, detect an output from the bottom
• Probe from the bottom, detect an output from the top

Probing
The system is designed to used standard DC probes on individual manipulators, probe cards, probing wedges or HF/Microwave probes. The user has the option of using them to contact the device from the top or bottom sides. Manipulators are helped in place using magnetic, vacuum or bolt down bases. Bolt down bases provide the most strength and rigidity.

The SemiProbe PILOT Control Software Suite semiautomatic and fully automatic probe systems employs the SemiProbe patented Adaptive Architecture. Software modules can be added to the base system as needed. PILOT Control Software consists of a Microsoft Windows-based user interface built on the SemiServer application for communicating to and from the probe system. Individual customer applications can be integrated with PILOT Control Software for a customized system to meet individual needs.

PILOT Control Software comes with standard modules including Navigator and Position Matrix with more sophisticated options like the Wafer Map and Vision module available. Modules interfacing to the SemiServer have a set of remote commands that can be accessed by any other module, providing the capability to perform its own specific function, yet access all other features of the suite seamlessly. Full driver libraries are available for LabView, C++, and Visual Basic with specific instrument drivers to support the most advanced instrumentation available. Communications may be made using RS-232, GPIB or TCP/IP, enabling the system to be either a controller or a slave in an integrated solution.

Click here for more information

About SemiProbe: SemiProbe continues to expand our patented Probe System for Life (PS4L) family of probe systems, modules, and accessories. The PS4L probe system is the most modular in the world and is designed to reduce the cost of capital equipment. The systems are designed to provide a perpetual field upgrade path to address new applications and requirements.

SemiProbe is a global supplier of test and inspection solutions for microelectronics, MEMS, high frequency, nanotechnology, microfluidics, optoelectronics, photovoltaics and more. Their signature product, the Probe System for Life (PS4L) family of probing and inspection systems, embodies their patented adaptive architecture. All key building blocks are interchangeable. Because they’re easily customized, the PS4L systems enable customers to realize substantial time and cost savings over traditional probe systems when wafer size, levels of automation, or test requirements change. Customers can start with a system that meets their initial application and budget and then perpetually field upgrade it as their requirements change without having to purchase an entirely new system.

Benefit of SemiProbe solutions versus alternatives:

1. In many cases the homebrew solutions are purpose built and can be short-lived. Quite often, the recipe is lost when the original designers/manufacturers move on. Another downfall to a homebrew solution is the people that designed it or manufactured it always own it. They can’t distance themselves from it – essentially, they own it as long as they are with the company.
2. Capital equipment is expensive. With a PS4L system the prober can continually be field upgraded to add new capabilities as the customer’s requirements change. SemiProbe provides insurance against obsolescence since capabilities can be added as requirements change or evolve.
   
3. SemiProbe is willing to make customized solutions and has decades of experience – mechanics, optics, electronics, software and applications – at getting everything to play.
   
4. As a small company SemiProbe usually responds faster and pricing is often lower because overhead is lower.

About E Test Reps:

Problem:

• Data is siloed in different production areas & hard to combine

In semiconductor manufacturing, production data is generated in multiple formats and is usually siloed into different databases. To analyze the data, it needs to be integrated into a single, unified view.

Solution:

• Combine several datasets into one standardized YieldWatchDog data warehouse

• With YieldWatchDog Ultimate edition you can consolidate the data from multiple factories

YieldWatchDog supports different data formats, combines all the production data into one standardized format and merges them into one data warehouse with the aim of facilitating further data analysis.

In addition, with YieldWatchDog Ultimate edition, manufacturers can consolidate their data from multiple factories.

DR YIELD has years of experience, knowledge and expertise in yield analytics, and especially in data integration and data integration and data parsing as this is the crucial first step in data analytics.

YieldWatchDog offers many visualization and calculation tools that are specifically designed for the semiconductor industry. The interactive, user-friendly interface enables a deep dive into you manufacturing and test data.

• Numerous visualization and calculation tools

• Analyze factory events most efficiently

• More efficiently monitor equipment and optimize performance

• Analyze complex yield issues that require insight into the full supply chain

• Support equipment qualification and product ramp-ups

About DR YIELD: DR YIELD is the provider of YieldWatchDog and YieldWatchDogXI – smart, powerful data analysis and AI solution specifically designed for the semiconductor industry. DR YIELD is headquartered in Austria, with a team of dedicated, experienced engineers providing outstanding customer support from demo to data integration, customization, license renewal and beyond.

DR YIELD’s YieldWatchDog (YWD) is the smart, flexible, innovative and high-performance semiconductor data analysis solution.

YieldWatchDog integrates perfectly within the manufacturers infrastructure, allowing you to quickly identify yield issues and correlate test results from WAT/PCM, wafer/die sort and final assembly/test, all within one tool.

Leading semiconductor manufacturers around the world use YieldWatchDog to improve yields, reduce test times and get products to market faster while improving the bottom line.


We look forward to hearing from you.

About E Test Reps:

SURAGUS are specialists in high frequency (HF) eddy current testing systems. A wide measurement frequency range from 10 kHz to 100 MHz enables the characterization of diverse materials ranging from thick metal films to highly resistive semiconductors; all with only a single system. Additionally, frequency modulation enables penetration depth variation, which provides insight into vertical resistivity profiles.

With strong competence in designing and manufacturing non-contact eddy current sensors, SURAGUS solutions characterize single or multilayers in three modes: frontside reflection mode, backside reflection mode and transmission mode.

Click here for details about Eddy Current Technology
Non-contact Eddy Current Technology

One of the most important quality parameters that determines the electrical characteristics of conductive coatings and substrates is sheet resistance (R_sor R). Sheet resistance (typically stated in Ω/sq or Ohm/sq) is a measure of the electrical resistance of thin layers. It is the main physical parameter for describing the electrical performance of electrodes. The sheet resistance Rs correlates with the material thickness if the bulk resistivity can be assumed to be constant. The formula is R_s = ρ/t

1. Non-contact: Eddy current
2. Contact: Two-point Probe, Four-point probe (4PP), Hall effect, Van der Pauw

The eddy current testing method is a non-destructive evaluation method that allows accurate measurement without impacts due to inhomogeneous contact quality, without damaging any sensitive surface or inducing artefacts due to contacting. Applying noncontact technology, there is no wear of needles or tips, which typically causes high replacement costs in common 4-point-probe mapping systems. A further significant advantage is the short measurement time. A measurement takes only a few milliseconds for each measurement and no time for contacting the sample is needed. This also allows to measure inline during production or “on the fly” in mapping systems. In result, the eddy current sheet resistance mapping systems measure thousands of positions in a couple of seconds. No interpolation between measurements points as typical in 4-point-probe mapping systems is required. Hence, defects and nonuniform areas can be identified. Furthermore, it allows the accurate measurement of single and multilayer systems which includes inaccessibly buried or encapsulated layers.

Click here for more information

SURAGUS Product overview for Thin-Film Characterization

What is Important to SURAGUS: Their solutions contribute to a sustainable use of resources in various industries. SURAGUS solutions for process control and quality assurance support efficient production processes with highest product qualities at high throughput and low scrap rates. Moreover, it is important to them that they offer an inspiring, professional work environment to their staff, which provides freedom for self-actualization as well as security and flexibility for their families.

SURAGUS provides non-contact metal metrology process control measurements of the metallization uniformity. Often, SURAGUS tools achieve much lower tolerances as compared to alternate methods. As a result, it is stable at much higher frequencies and significantly more stable over time. There are also several benefits over alternative methods:

1. It is non-contact.
2. After the initial calibration, it can be used in SPC mode.
3. It can determine thin film thickness if sheet resistance is known.
4. It can provide an end point measurement of Cu plating removal during CMP.
5. Metal tool qualifications after PM.
6. Eliminates these types of problem with contact measurements:

• Four-point probe can have issues with metal contamination (from metal films to bare substates)
• Cross contamination from monitoring different metals
• Changing probe conditions which can lead to erroneous and inconsistent data

We encourage customers to put SURAGUS to schedule an initial online consultation, to be followed if appropriate by no charge sample testing of your material, and a comprehensive written report of the findings.

About E Test Reps:

The SemiProbe family of vacuum probing systems have expanded due to new application requirements – high volume MEMS testing, High Voltage testing and 300 mm. SemiProbe has a family of manual, semiautomatic and fully automatic vacuum probing systems primarily to test MEMS and High Voltage Devices.

Sometimes customers like the ability to use the vacuum chamber as a multi-purpose probing solution for a variety of applications – open air and under vacuum. Basic I-V, C-V and HF measurements using coaxial, triaxial, kelvin and HF probe arms, cables and connectors are used for open air and low voltage applications. When vacuum is required, the chamber is cleaned and sealed and operated to vacuum levels as low as 10-6 torr. Similar basic measurements under vacuum can be made as well as high voltage up to 10 KV.

About SemiProbe: SemiProbe continues to expand our patented Probe System for Life (PS4L) family of probe systems, modules, and accessories. The PS4L probe system is the most modular in the world and is designed to reduce the cost of capital equipment. The systems are designed to provide a perpetual field upgrade path to address new applications and requirements.

• The starting point is listening to customers and asking lots of questions about your testing challenges – mechanics, optics, electronics, software and applications. From there, they design solutions and source pieces where they are best made. These then get assembled and fully tested to demonstrate – before it ships – that the prober works precisely like it is supposed to – and only then does it ship. This means probers can be put to use immediately after installation while avoiding surprises.


• SemiProbe’s modular approach to probers means all of the key building blocks are interchangeable. This Lego-like method is your insurance against obsolescence, ensuring that the Probe System for Life (PS4L) prober can be field upgraded as requirements change.


• Modular designs keep ongoing support costs low, as repairs or upgrades can often be accomplished by shipping a replacement component that your trained staff can install if problems ever do occur.

About E Test Reps:

With increased computational capabilities, the importance of artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) in semiconductor manufacturing is ever growing.

While there are already many reported use cases of how AI can be applied in areas such as wafer scheduling and dispatching, unit process optimization and defect classification, the application of AI looks especially promising in the field of yield data analytics.

In order to analyze the vast amounts of data coming from the test equipment of semiconductor manufacturers, a premium, powerful software solution is required. High-performing software is a must as it enables fast and efficient processing of massive amounts of data.

As companies in the semiconductor industry strive to achieve manufacturing excellence, using yield analysis software allows test and yield engineers to improve yield and throughput, significantly increase productivity, save costs, reduce waste and reduce time-to-market.

The main stages in effective yield data analysis include: obtaining the data from semiconductor equipment, data integration, data analysis and obtaining the information needed for further actions. The knowledge gained results in the lifetime quality and reliability of the smart products that shape our lives.

Artificial Intelligence A deep learning framework based on neural networks (CNNs & GANs) and other intelligent algorithms.

Smart Pattern Recognition Profit from automatic pattern recognition and classification.

Intelligent Tool Analytics Analyze tool combinations and pinpoint process improvement possibilities.

Multidimensional View Improve your operation through multivariate data monitoring.

Deep Root Cause Analytics Smart root cause analysis enables immediate implementation of corrective measures.

Smart Decision Making Data driven decision-making leads to substantial productivity gains.

The multivariate monitoring feature of YWD^XI allows you to review individual parameters and detect issues that would otherwise not be visible. Fast processing and calculation times are ensured by deploying mechanisms such as dimension reduction. Built-in Principal Component Analysis enables you to set corrective measurements immediately.

About DRYIELD: DR YIELD is the provider of YieldWatchDog and YieldWatchDogXI – smart, powerful data analysis and AI solution specifically designed for the semiconductor industry. DR YIELD is headquartered in Austria, with a team of dedicated, experienced engineers providing outstanding customer support from demo to data integration, customization, license renewal and beyond.

DR YIELD’s YieldWatchDog (YWD) software allows one to quickly identify yield issues and correlate test results from WAT/PCM, Wafer/Die Sort and Final Assembly/test, all within one tool. Hundreds of world-wide customers use (YWD) to improve yields, reduce test times, and help to get products to market faster while improving the bottom line. Most importantly, performance does not get bogged down as the volume of data grows, so it remains fast at finding wafer signatures regardless of the number of wafers in the database.

At SEMICON West 2022, DR YIELD will present the importance of AI and machine learning in semiconductor manufacturing with a focus on yield data analytics.

CURRENT AI APPLICATIONS: Three AI applications currently being used in yield data analytics will be presented using actual recent fab data.

FUTURE OUTLOOK: The future outlook includes the technology roadmap for the application of AI for comprehensive semiconductor analytics to the end of the decade.

We look forward to hearing from you.

About E Test Reps:

Upcoming Events:

With ISO 9001:2015 certified and SPC driven processes, AKT ensures all specifications are measured and recorded for every Ring manufactured. All AKT products include full traceability. Maintaining the highly precise process of machining CMP rings and parts, AKT has been able to extend the life of its rings beyond their competitors.

All machined Rings are created:

• Under an ISO certified process.
• All parts are of 100% quality and verified with video and reports on customer portal before product ships, each receiving the same CMM machine measurement, also available in the reports.
• Extensive lapping and surface roughness characterization capability is applied to all metal and plastic parts.

AKT strives to machine all manufactured products, not only to comply with the define specifications, but also with impeccable quality to meet or exceed their customers’ expectations for a defect-free product. The process also includes validation of all specifications, each measured and recorded in the quality reports available via the customer portal. Each product is also visually verified by video recording available on their customer portal.

All CMP components, plastic or metal, are machined with extreme precision and tested with the same effort using CMM tools and detailed machining processes.

Who is AKT Components: AKT Components is a distinguished CMP consumable parts solution provider and other high precision plastic and metal components, specializing in the design and manufacturing of CMP retaining rings which AKT prides themselves as the world’s number one.

With three locations in Malaysia, AKT Components has found their success to be driven by the extensive precision and testing they have undergone to achieve ISO certification and high customer marks. Each shipment receives testing reports and video validation available in their Customer Portal.

All CMP components, plastic or metal, are machined with extreme precision and tested with the same effort using CMM tools and detailed machining processes.

About AKT Components

✓Located in Penang, Malaysia

✓ Customers include the largest semiconductor companies and equipment manufacturers in the world.

✓Proven CMP Consumable parts, high precision plastic/metal components manufacturing and assembling

✓Achieving lead times by using three separate teams and factories in Penang, Malaysia along with an extensive supplier network.

✓Ensuring long term satisfaction of clients through the quality of products.

About E Test Reps:

SURAGUS are specialists in high frequency (HF) eddy current testing systems. A wide measurement frequency range from 10 kHz to 100 MHz enables the characterization of diverse materials ranging from thick metal films to highly resistive semiconductors; all with only a single system. Additionally, frequency modulation enables penetration depth variation, which provides insight into vertical resistivity profiles.

SURAGUS tools measure:

• metal thickness
• sheet resistance
• resistivity
• magnetic permeability (beta)

HF eddy current systems only require approximately 20 ms per measurement and operate in a non-contact mode; two characteristics which are combined in SURAGUS’ mapping tools to create sheet resistance map images with anywhere from 49 to 90,000 measurement points. These measurement points are captured in just a few seconds or minutes, with the point density high enough to enable imaging without point-point interpolation. In contrast to conventional 4PP tools, the measurement quality is independent of the surface characteristics.

Click here for details about Eddy Current Technology
Testing Setups and Tools Portfolio

For wafer types Si, SiC, GaAs, GaN, glass, ceramic etc and for sizes 1” to 12”, SURAGUS’ full product portfolio includes manual single point tools, automated imaging tools and sensor integration kits for tool integration into existing or new tools.

What is Important to SURAGUS: Their solutions contribute to a sustainable use of resources in various industries. SURAGUS solutions for process control and quality assurance support efficient production processes with highest product qualities at high throughput and low scrap rates. Moreover, it is important to them that they offer an inspiring, professional work environment to their staff, which provides freedom for self-actualization as well as security and flexibility for their families.

SURAGUS GmbH is a German company that is specialized in providing solutions for nondestructive material testing. They got their start over a decade ago as a spin-off of the Fraunhofer-Society, one of the largest German research organizations.They use new technical opportunities and the technical advances in microelectronics, manufacturing and miniaturization technologies and computer technology to develop eddy current testing solutions optimized for customer needs.

The applied eddy current testing technology features a wide frequency range that encompasses high frequencies. This range flexibility combined with advanced measuring procedures allows for fast testing of both very low and well conductive materials.

Their portfolio comprises portable hand-held devices, table-sized benchtop testing solutions, robot based systems and standard and customized inline-solutions.

Quality is top notch. All of their processes are certified to DIN EN ISO 9001:2015 and are continuously monitored and enhanced.

We look forward to testing your samples and engaging with your company about your metrology requirements.

About E Test Reps:

Advances in material quality and availability, device development and fabrication process maturity has pushed SiC MOSETs to the brink of adoption in a range of power electronics applications such as renewables/solar, transportation and aviation industries where size and weight reduction, increased functionality and reduced bill-of-materials cost are being realizable. While SiC MOSFET entitled performance benefits versus incumbent IGBTs have been widely reported, acceptance has been limited due to increased die cost and limited reliability data presented to date.

Tremendous progress has been made on SiC MOSFETs in the last few years. High voltage SiC devices offer the promise of efficient power conversion in areas that current silicon-based power semiconductors do not. System benefits such as improved efficiency, reduced part count, reduced size and weight will make this technology attractive for adoption in a variety of power conversion systems. In SiC MOSFETs, the intrinsic body diode may be used as the anti-parallel diode. When the diode is implemented in silicon, the reverse recovery of such diodes results in high switching losses. In applications utilizing IGBTs this has led to the use of SiC Schottky diodes in cases where performance outweighs cost. On the other hand the use of the SiC MOSFET body diode could provide significant cost and size benefits.

About GE Research: GE Research offers reliability testing of power semiconductor devices. Our in-depth expertise in high temperature and high voltage testing, environmental testing, failure analysis, root cause determination, and mitigation solutions enables us to fully characterize and analyze the performance of your parts. Due to our extensive industry experience with SiC, we also have significant know-how in SiC MOSFET reliability testing with equipment and tooling tailored for higher temperature SiC discrete and module packages.

Everyone needs to periodically collect reliability data on their WBG devices, but this can be quite expensive and labor intensive to do in-house. Many would be well served by contracting from an experienced supplier well versed in GaN and SiC devices. That’s where GE Research can help.

The team at GE Research and elsewhere have been developing semiconductors that can withstand high operating temperatures of 200 degrees Celsius and beyond. GE began developing SiC MOSFETs (metal-oxide semiconductor field-effect transistors) decades ago and achieved the strict standards required by the automotive industry. GE is a recognized leader in industrial applications and since 2015 GE Research has provided production SiC MOSFETs and power modules for GE Aviation products. In addition, the team has been expanding its application base to automotive, healthcare, renewable energy and the military.

Now, GE’s lab outside of Albany NY, and the technologists that run them, are open and available to take on the gamut of WBG reliability test requirements:

• Initial consultation, and reliability test planning to determine the scope of work
• Test execution
• Data analysis, consultation and reporting

About E Test Reps:

The mini-PS4L series of probe systems is an extension of SemiProbe’s popular and patented Probe System for Life (PS4L) family of probe systems. The mini-PS4L probe systems are kitted systems available in manual and semiautomatic versions. One of the best features of the mini-PS4L series is the perpetual field path.

Features of the mini-PS4L:

• Small Footprint & Lower Cost
• Manual and Semiautomatic Systems – 25mm to 100mm
• Kitted Configurations – DC, HF, OPTO
• 100% Credit for Upgrade

Automated vacuum testing with SemiProbe’s vacuum probers is helping drive down the cost of vacuum packaging in the manufacturing of MEMs devices by testing at the wafer level and under vacuum. Available in production applications to test wafers up to 300mm as well as trays of die, SemiProbe manufactures a family of vacuum probers which can be purchased and operated in fully, semi or manual mode at vacuum levels from 10-3 to 10-6 torr and temperature testing from -60C to 300C. A fully automatic prober can also be operated in semi automatic and manual modes if desired.

About SemiProbe: SemiProbe continues to expand our patented Probe System for Life (PS4L) family of probe systems, modules, and accessories. The PS4L probe system is the most modular in the world and is designed to reduce the cost of capital equipment. The systems are designed to provide a perpetual field upgrade path to address new applications and requirements.

Founded in Vermont in 2006, SemiProbe designs, manufactures and sells probing and inspection systems and accessories for manufacturers of semiconductor chips. Their customers include the world’s most advanced science and research institutions and many of the top semiconductor companies. The company’s founders are former SUSS MicroTec employees who believed they could build less expensive, more customizable test solutions in the $350M global analytical prober market than the other dozen competitors worldwide.

Fifteen years later, SemiProbe is a global supplier of test and inspection solutions for microelectronics, MEMS, high frequency, high power, nanotechnology, microfluidics, optoelectronics, photovoltaics and more. Their signature product, the Probe System for Life (PS4L) family of probing and inspection systems, embodies their patented adaptive architecture. All key building blocks are interchangeable. Because they’re easily customized, the PS4L systems enable customers to realize substantial time and cost savings over traditional probe systems when wafer size, levels of automation, or test requirements change. Customers can start with a system that meets their initial application and budget and then perpetually field upgrade it as their requirements change without having to purchase an entirely new system.

About E Test Reps: