by Ed Korczynski, Senior Technical Editor
Traditional scanning electron microscopes (SEM) provide essential information for both R&D and quality control in semiconductor manufacturing, but are generally slow and sensitive and ultimately become R&D bottlenecks. Perusing the aisles at SEMICON West, I ran across FEI’s new Phenom, which is the size of a coffeemaker and costs a third of traditional SEMs. Note to academia and fab engineers: you’ll want one, and here’s why.