March 23, 2006 – Rudolph Technologies Inc., Flanders, NJ, is rolling out a second-generation replacement for August Technology’s E20 wafer edge inspection system, to provide edge inspection for CMP, etch, clean, deposition, pre-RTP and final QA processes.

The E25 offers “numerous software and optical enhancements” including brighter illumination, greater defect capture rate and simplified recipe creation. An improved algorithm helps create a defect-free surface model of the edge to better detect and classify defects; and multiple color cameras, concurrent color image capture, and automatic defect classification are utilized to quickly detect and classify a wide range of defects based on size, morphology, color, location, and other characteristics.

The tool, which can be upgraded from the E20 version in the field, also integrates with the company’s AXi or NSX inspection systems to add edge and front-side inspection throughout the manufacturing process. Ardy Johnson, VP of marketing, stated that the E25 has been successfully tested and accepted at a major US semiconductor manufacturer.