Tencor® P-17 & Tencor® P-17 OF Stylus Profilers

Tencor® P-17

The Tencor P-17 stylus profilometer is an eighth generation benchtop stylus profiler, built on over 45 years of surface metrology experience. This industry leading system supports 2D and 3D step height measurement, roughness, bow, and stress for scans up to 200mm without stitching.

Excellent measurement stability is achieved with the combination of an UltraLite® sensor, constant force control and an ultra-flat scanning stage. Recipe setup is fast and easy with point-and-click stage controls, top and side view optics and a high-resolution camera with optical zoom.

The Tencor P-17 stylus profilometer supports 2D or 3D measurements,^®with a variety of filtering, leveling and analysis algorithms to quantify the surface topography. Fully automated measurements are achieved with pattern recognition, sequencing and feature detection.

Features

Step height: Nanometers to 1000µm

Low Force: 0.03 to 15mg

Scan full diameter of the sample without stitching

Video: 5MP high-resolution color camera

Arc Correction: Removes error due to arc motion of the stylus

Software: Easy-to-use software interface

Production capability: Fully automated with sequencing, pattern recognition and SECS/GEM

Industries

Universities, research labs and institutes

Semiconductor and compound semiconductor

LED: Light emitting diodes

Solar

MEMS: Micro-electro-mechanical systems

Data storage

Automotive

Medical devices

And more: Contact us with your requirements

Applications

Step Height: 2D and 3D step height

Texture: 2D and 3D roughness and waviness

Form: 2D bow and shape

Stress: 2D and 3D thin film stress

Defect review: 2D and 3D defect surface topography

■Tencor P-17 OF

The HRP®-240 and HRP®-250 systems can be upgraded to HRP®-260. This upgrade extends the lifetime of your current HRP system, utilizing the latest electronics offered by KLA. The upgrade includes profiler software with algorithms that significantly improve pattern recognition performance and recipe transportability between tools. HRP®-260 systems have roughly double the HRP-240 system throughput, based on a production five-site sequence recipe. The upgrade kit includes a new computer with Windows® 10, new electronics with USB communication, high-resolution digital cameras, a 23-inch flat screen monitor, and the latest profiler software.

■Stylus Options

The Tencor P-17 has a variety of styli available to support the stylus measurement of step heights, high aspect ratio steps, roughness, sample bow, and stress. The tip radius ranges from 40nm to 50µm and determines the lateral resolution of the measurement. The included angle ranges from 20 to 100 degrees, which specifies the maximum aspect ratio of the measured feature. All styli are manufactured from diamond to reduce wear and increase stylus lifetime.

■Sample Chucks

The Tencor P-17 has a range of chucks available to support application requirements. The standard is a universal vacuum chuck with precision locating pins for samples from 50 to 200mm. The universal chuck supports bow and stress measurements using 3-point locators to support the sample in a neutral position for accurate bow measurements. Additional options for solar samples, HDD disks, and precision sample location plates are available.

■Isolation Tables

The Tencor P-17 has both tabletop and free-standing isolation table options. The Granite Isolator™ Series offers tabletop systems that combine granite with high grade silicone gel to provide passive isolation. The Onyx Series tabletop isolation systems use pneumatic air isolators to provide passive isolation. The TMC 63-500 Series isolation table is a free-standing steel frame table that uses pneumatic air isolators to provide passive isolation.

■Step Height Standards

The Tencor P-17 uses thin and thick film NIST-traceable step height standards offered by VLSI Standards. The standards feature an oxide step on a silicon die mounted on a quartz block, or an etched quartz step with a chrome coating. A step height range of 8nm to 250µm is available.

■Apex Analysis Software

Apex analysis software enhances the standard data analysis capability of the Tencor P-17 with an extended suite of leveling, filtering, step height, roughness, and surface topography analysis techniques. Apex supports ISO roughness calculation methods, plus local standards, such as ASME. Apex can also serve as a report writing platform with the capability to add text, annotations, and pass/fail criteria. Apex is offered in eleven languages.

■Offline Analysis Software

The Tencor P-17 offline software has the same data analysis and recipe creation capability that exists on the tool. This enables the user to create recipes and analyze data without using valuable tool time.

■Pattern Recognition

Pattern recognition uses pre-taught patterns to automatically align the sample. This enables fully automated measurements for enhanced measurement stability by reducing the impact of operator error. Pattern recognition combined with advanced calibrations reduces stage positioning error and enables seamless transfer of recipes between systems.

■SECS/GEM and HSMS

SECS/GEM and HSMS communications support factory automation systems and enable remote control of the Tencor P-17. Measurement results are automatically reported to host SPC systems, plus alarms and key calibration/configuration data. The Tencor P-17 is compliant with SEMI standards E4, E5, E30, and E37.

■Step Height

The Tencor P-17 stylus profiler is capable of measuring 2D and 3D step heights from nanometers to 1000µm. This enables quantification of material deposited or removed during etch, sputter, SIMS, deposition, spin coating, CMP and other processes. The Tencor P-17 has constant force control that dynamically adjusts to apply the same force on the sample surface, regardless of step height. This results in good measurement stability and enables accurate measurement of soft materials, such as photoresist.

■Texture: Roughness and Waviness

The Tencor P-17 measures 2D and 3D texture, quantifying the sample’s roughness and waviness. Software filters separate the measurement into roughness and waviness components and calculate parameters, such as the root mean square (RMS) roughness.

■Form: Bow and Shape

The Tencor P-17 can measure the 2D shape or bow of a surface. This includes measurement of wafer bow that can result from mismatch between layers during device fabrication, such as deposition of multiple layers for the production of semiconductor or compound semiconductor devices. The Tencor P-17 can also quantify the height and radius of curvature of structures, such as a lens.

■Stress: 2D and 3D thin film stress

The Tencor P-17 is capable of measuring stress induced during the manufacture of devices with multiple process layers, such as semiconductor or compound semiconductor devices. The bow of the surface is accurately measured using a stress chuck to support the sample in a neutral position. The change in shape from a process, such as film deposition, is then used to calculate the stress by applying Stoney’s equation. 2D stress is measured with a single scan across the sample diameter for samples up to 200mm without the need to stitch. 3D stress is measured using a combination of 2D scans, with the theta stage rotating between scans to measure the full sample surface.

■Defect Review

Defect Review is used to measure the topography of defects, such as the depth of a scratch. Defect inspection tools identify defects and write the location coordinates to a KLARF file. The Defect Review feature reads the KLARF file, aligns the sample, and allows the user to select defects for 2D or 3D measurement.

KLA_AppNote_Stylus_SIMS_Crater.pdf