December 19, 2022
Cold Field Emission technology makes it possible to operate an electron microscope at room temperature, and not at the usual temperature of about 1,500°C. In this way, it is possible to locate and identify defects in the chip with a size of less than 1 nanometer
division Process Diagnostics and Control – PDC of Applied Materials Global Company (Applied Materials), which is the Israeli arm of the company’s activities, announced a breakthrough in the field of eBeam technology, which allows imaging of the chip using an electron beam. The new technology is called Cold Field Emission – CFE, and according to the company, it accelerates the imaging speed tenfold and improves the image resolution of elements smaller than 1 nanometer by about 50%. The new technology was integrated into the PrimeVision 10 system for detecting defects and the SEMVision G10 system for characterizing the defects, both manufactured in Israel.
eBeam technology is used to identify and characterize defects that, due to their size, cannot be detected by optical systems. Today, manufacturers face an increasing need to locate defects that are also below the surface, following the miniaturization through EUV lithography, and the transition to complex three-dimensional structures, such as those used for example in the production of Gate All Around – GAA transistors. To date, the industry has been based on traditional eBeam (electron microscope) systems based on the Thermal Field Emission -TFE principle, which operate at a high temperature of approximately 1,500°C, which limits the resolution of the resulting image (see image above).
A cold electron beam
CFE technology, unlike it, works at room temperature and therefore allows the use of a narrow electron beam with a higher concentration of electrons per unit area. To date, however, CFE technology has not been stable enough for commercial application because at room temperature impurities have accumulated in the electron microscope, causing disruptions in its operation. It is worth noting that in the existing TFE systems, these impurities are automatically expelled due to the high heat. The Israeli team overcame the problem through two technological breakthroughs.
The first is the use of unique materials developed for the system that reduce the amount of pollutants, and operation under deep vacuum conditions (1×10-11 millibar), which is two to three orders of magnitude greater than the vacuum present in TFE systems, and close to the level of the vacuum present in outer space. The second breakthrough is an automatic self-cleaning process: even under extremely extreme vacuum conditions, tiny amounts of gas residues may form that will harm the system’s function. Even if a single atom sticks to the source from which the electrons are emitted, it may partially block their emission, damaging the stability of the system’s operation.
Applied has developed a cyclical self-cleaning process that removes contaminants, and enables stable performance over time. “The implementation of CFE technology on production lines is the biggest advance in eBeam imaging technology in decades,” said Keith Wells, vice president of the imaging and chip production control group at the global company. “With the highest resolution and electron density in the industry, the new CFE technology enables chipmakers to quickly identify defects they’ve never been able to see before.”
The largest R&D and production center outside the US
The PDC division operates from Rehovot and is managed by Rafi Ben Ami. It is the company’s largest R&D and manufacturing center outside the US. Today the division employs about 2,300 people and is responsible for the development and production of systems for the field of chip production control, which is one of the strategic and important activities of Applied Materials worldwide. According to the research company TechInsights, the division holds a share of more than 50% of the global eBeam system market, and its sales in the field amounted to approximately one billion dollars in 2021.
In August 2022, the president and CEO of Applied Materials Global, Gary Dickerson, estimated that the division’s revenues would increase by approximately 40% in fiscal year 2022, “thanks to the widespread adoption of eBeam metrology and new optical platforms for testing silicon wafers.”
Published in the categories: news, semiconductors, Israeli industry
Posted in tags: APPLIED MATERIALS, applied materials, nanometer, chips
