FEI Helios 1200AT DualBeam system accelerates process development and ramp

USA: FEI  released the Helios NanoLab 1200AT, the newest generation of its full-wafer DualBeam analysis systems.

The addition of an optional automated FOUP (front opening universal pod) loader allows location of the Helios NanoLab 1200AT system inside the semiconductor wafer fab, where its scanning electron microscope (SEM) imaging and precise focused ion beam (FIB) milling are used by engineers to extract ultrathin samples of targeted structures and defects for examination in a high-resolution transmission electron microscope (TEM).

The results are used to diagnose the root causes of defects and evaluate process maturity. Moving the 1200AT inside the fab and closer to the wafer process line (near-line) can deliver this critical information up to three times faster than laboratory-based analysis of cleaved wafer pieces, enabling acceleration of the development of new processes and the yield ramp to high-volume production.