Nikon ships 150 300-mm inspection systems

January 6, 2005, Melville, NY--Nikon's Semiconductor Inspection Technologies Group (SITECH) has shipped 150 300-mm Optical Inspection tools to several US based semiconductor manufacturers. The sale marks an important milestone in SITECH's presence in global 300-mm semiconductor wafer manufacturing.

"The success of our Optical Inspection line of tools continues to lead the way in unparallel performance for the semiconductor industry," said Takashi Kamiya, general manager, SITECH "With over 400 200-mm tools in the US market, combined with record sales of 150 300-mm tools, our superior performance, low cost of ownership and the industry's highest reliability numbers, Nikon's leadership position represents the best value for our customers."

The complete 300-mm line of Optical Inspection tools include the OST-3200, OST-3100 and OST-7, which allow customers to inspect their wafers for macro defects on the front side, back side and edge of the wafer. After the Macro inspection the wafers are transferred to the microscope side to inspect for Micro defects under several choices of magnification. The tools have the option to view defects using DUV illumination.