Camtek selected as advanced Tem sample preparation solution provider

MIGDAL HAEMEK, ISRAEL: Camtek Ltd announced that a leading Asian semiconductor manufacturer has selected the Xact, Camtek's advanced TEM (Transmission Electron Microscope) sample preparation solution, enabling material analysis and verification. The Xact system is expected to be installed in the first quarter of 2011.

Shrinking feature dimensions and advances in material complexity require a scale of analysis only possible through STEM (Scanning Transmission Electron Microscope) and TEM processes. Sample preparation for the front-end of the line (FEOL) process monitoring and offline failure analysis has become a bottleneck.

Existing sample preparation solutions are falling well short of meeting the evolving requirements of high resolution and high contrast imaging and analysis. Camtek's Xact overcomes these limitations by applying the ground-breaking Adaptive Ion Milling (AIM) technology, and offers negligible artifacts and improved throughput for customers.

The Xact was developed by SELA - Semiconductor Engineering Laboratories Ltd, which was acquired by Camtek in November 2009.

Roy Porat, Camtek's CEO, commented: "We are very pleased to announce this highly strategic order, with a leading customer that will be an important reference for us. This is solid evidence of the strong technological advantage that we have in this area. We believe this order is an important step in our penetration efforts into the Frontend of the Fab in general and the sample preparation market specifically. We believe that over the coming quarters, we will continue to grow and penetrate new customers with the Xact.

"This is a new customer for Camtek. Every new customer - especially a tier-1 account - is highly important for us. It broadens our customer base, expands our industry relationships and increases our long-term sales potential. From a strategic perspective, a sale such as this opens potential for much more significant growth in the future."