Imagine trying to check if a giant pancake is perfectly flat by touching it with a needle millions of times; it would take forever. This technology acts like a high-tech camera that sees the entire surface at once, instantly spotting tiny bumps or dips. It allows factories to check their silicon wafers in a fraction of a second without slowing down production.
Current semiconductor metrology forces a choice between high resolution and fast measurement speed. To increase throughput, fabs must buy more expensive equipment and sacrifice floor space.
A fully automated fab tool capable of measuring 300mm wafers with 3.16 nm precision, including mechanical frames, optics, and data analytics software.
If you are a foundry dealing with the high cost and space requirements of adding multiple metrology tools to your fab — this project developed a Wave Front Phase Imaging tool that can serve all wafer geometry needs for a 5nm fab using a single system.
If you are a display manufacturer dealing with the need for more surface geometry measurements as pixels shrink — this project developed a sensor that captures 15 million data points in 100ms to ensure precision.
If you are an equipment provider dealing with the trade-off between resolution and measurement time — this project developed a patented naked sensor technology that reaches resolutions orders of magnitude higher than other wavefront sensors.
It reduces the need to purchase extra metrology tools and saves precious production space by allowing a single system to handle all geometry needs for a 5nm fab.
Yes, the project successfully upgraded the tool from a 50mm field of view to a full 300mm field of view for silicon wafers.
The Wave Front Phase Imaging (WFPI) technology used in the system is patented by WOOPTIX.
The system is designed as an in-line tool for the manufacturing process, featuring a fully automated fab tool with a vertical wafer holder.
The project was carried out over a 24-month period from October 2022 to September 2024.
The project is led by a single Spanish SME, WOOPTIX SL, which indicates a highly concentrated IP ownership and a lean execution model. While the consortium consists of only one partner, the business risk was mitigated by external validation from ASML, a global leader in semiconductor equipment.
Contact WOOPTIX SL in Spain regarding their patented WFPI technology.
Request a technical deep-dive on the ASML validation results.
