KlaTencor 微耐米三維表面量測設備

Company Overview(公司概況)

From: http://www.kla-tencor.com/company/company-overview.html


KLA-Tencor: Leading the Yield Management Market
KLA-Tencor Corporation is the world's leading supplier of process control and yield management solutions for the semiconductor and related microelectronics industries. These technologies serve the semiconductor, data storage, LED, photovoltaic, and other related nanoelectronics industries.
 

        KLA-Tencor: 領導良率管理的市場
科磊公司是用於半導體及相關微電子工業的製程控制與良率管理的方法的領導供應者. 

        The company's portfolio of products, software, analysis, services and expertise is designed to help IC manufacturers manage yield throughout the entire wafer fabrication process-from R & D to final yield analysis.

        這家公司的各種產品, 軟體,分析, 服務以及專家, 規劃設計方向在於協助 IC 製造業者管理整體的晶圓製程的產率--從研就開發到最後端的產率分析.

        KLA-Tencor offers a broad spectrum of products and services that include in-line wafer defect monitoring; reticle and photomask defect inspection; wafer overlay; film and surface measurement; and overall yield- and fab-wide data analysis.

        科磊公司提供一個寬廣的產品及服務的光譜, 包括線上的晶圓缺陷監控, 倍縮光罩及光罩的缺陷檢查, 晶圓覆蓋, 薄膜及表面量測 ; 以及整體產率及整廠的數據分析.

        In the semiconductor industry, the fabrication of an integrated circuit (IC), or chip, is accomplished by depositing a series of film layers upon a silicon wafer, which forms the foundation of the chip. 

        在半導體工業, 積體電路程 (IC) 的製造, 或是晶片, 是經由沉積一系列的薄膜於晶圓上面,形成晶片的基礎.

        A single wafer may hold hundreds of chips, each of which will go on to power electronic devices such as MP3 players, cell phones, personal computers and more.
The chip is built layer by layer from patterned films of conducting, semiconducting or insulating materials. 

        單一個晶圓內可能含有數千個晶片, 每一個用在功能強大的電子器件中, 如MP3撥放器, 手機, 個人電腦等.  晶片是經由一層層的圖案的薄膜建造起來的. 薄膜可能的材料為導電體, 半導體或絕緣體.         

        The role of KLA-Tencor’s products in this process is to monitor the defectivity and physical characteristics of each step, allowing the manufacturer to better control each process and maximize chip yield.

        科磊產品在這些製程中的角色是在監控每一個步驟的缺陷性及物理上的特徵, 使得製造者能夠更好地控制每一個製程, 並得到最大的產率.


Corporate History(公司延革)

KLA-Tencor was formed in May 1997 through the merger of KLA Instruments and Tencor Instruments, two long-time leaders in the semiconductor equipment industry.
KLA was named after the founders, Ken Levy and Bob Anderson.

        KLA Instruments was first established in 1976, with its first product emerging on the market in 1978—an automated inspection system that reduced photomask inspection time from eight hours to 15 minutes. 

         KLA-Tencor公司成立於 1997年, 由兩家長期半導體設備工業的領導者所合併組成. KLA 是以創立者 Ken Levy and Bob Anderson命名.

        科磊儀器於1976年建立, 1978年於市場出現第一個產品-- 一台可用於從8小時縮減到15分鐘的光罩自動檢測系統, 

        Shortly thereafter, KLA Instruments went public and expanded its inspection product portfolio to include patterned wafer inspection systems. 

        Two years later, KLA further broadened its offerings into the wafer metrology business through optical overlay and line-width measurement systems. 

        短期之後, 科磊儀器推出及擴充其檢測產品以涵蓋有圖案的晶圓的檢測系統.

        2年之後, 科磊儀器擴大其供應內容, 經由光學的覆蓋及線寬的量測系統進入了晶圓的計量學事業. 

        During the subsequent few years, the company expanded its product base through the development of software tools to help integrate inspection and measurement data for analysis—ultimately forming the industry’s first yield management group to provide customers with expertise in yield enhancement through engineering consulting services.

        在接下來的幾年之中, 這家公司經由軟體工具的開發, 擴充其產品基礎, 以幫助整合檢測及量測數據, 以便用於分析----終於形成第一個產率管理團隊, 以經由工程顧問服務, 提供客戶在產率管理上的專業內函. 

        Also in 1976, Tencor Instruments established its name, and first introduced its product—the Alpha-Step stylus surface profiler—just seven months later. This tool provided significant improvement in step-height measurement, a critical parameter in measuring film layer thickness. 

        In 1984, Tencor Instruments launched its first Surfscan product—a particle and contamination defect system based on laser scanning technology, which soon became the production standard. 

        Tencor儀器也是在1976年建立其名稱, 並且開始導入了他的產品----Alpha-Step 探針式表面量測儀---只僅在11個月之後. 這個工具在梯度高度的量測提供很重大的增進. 梯度高度是量測薄膜層厚度上很關鍵的參數.

        在1984年, Tencor儀器發表了他的第一個Surfscan 產品---- 一個基於雷射掃描技術的粒子及污染偵測系統,  此系統很快地成為製造的標準.

        By the late 1990s, Tencor hads broadened its product offerings to include defect review and data analysis tools as well. Following an initial public offering in 1993, Tencor then acquired Prometrix, a leading supplier of thin-film measurement tools, and further expanded its product offering. At the time of its merger with KLA, Tencor had revenues of approximately $403 million and 1,400 employees around the world.          

        在1990年代稍晚, Tencor 已經擴大其產品供應內容,  包括缺陷檢查及數據分析工具等.   經由光學的覆蓋及線寬的量測系統進入了晶圓的計量學事業. 繼於1993年開始公開股票之後,  Tencor 取得了Prometrix, 一家薄膜量測工具的領導供應者,  並且更進一步地擴展其產品供應內容.  在與KLA 合併時候, Tencor大約有$403 million 的年收入, 以及在全球有1,400 員工.