Veeco Instruments Inc., today announced the release of its latest generation of industry-leading SP products for backend semiconductor metrology. The Wyko(R) SP9900(TM) Surface Profiling System performs critical measurements that support high yield and device reliability for advanced high-density interconnect (HDI) packages. The new tool has garnered strong interest, with two units already in production at industry-leading semiconductor contract assembly and test services (SATS) vendors in Japan and Taiwan.
"Flip chip packaging continues to be the process of choice for rapidly growing flash memory devices, such as digital cameras and MP3 players, as well as for small-factor, high-density applications like mobile phones, computers and PDAs," says John Wissinger, VP/Business Unit Manager, Veeco Optical Industrial Metrology. "Many devices that previously used wire bonding or other connection methods are transitioning to ball grid arrays (BGA) for improved reliability and cost. Advances in packaging parallel the semiconductor roadmap, and package quality is increasingly critical to producing defect-free devices as tolerances increase. Veeco sees a significant long term growth opportunity in partnering with chipset designers and SATS vendors to address their most challenging metrology requirements - which are well addressed by our technology."
The SP9900 monitors critical parameters in multilayer organic panels manufactured for flip chip pin grid array (FC-PGA) and flip chip ball grid array (FC-BGA)-type packages. The new tool extends the success of the Wyko SP product family, delivering faster measurements, increased sample access, and the ability to measure the newer generation panel sizes up to 600x600mm, all without increasing the overall tool footprint compared with previous generation SP tools. Measurements include critical dimensions, trace heights, via depths, and roughness of the layers in laminate packages, as well as analysis of solder bump arrays, all crucial to quality and end device performance. A patent-pending dual-illumination-source interferometric method delivers sub-angstrom resolution for surface height measurements. A simple-to-use, "production interface" allows integration into high-volume manufacturing environments, providing minimal operator-to-operator variability while delivering an advanced engineering mode for process development.