Science & Technology 
Science and Technology
Science and Technology 
Mon, February 9, 2009
Rudolph Announces Probing Process Analysis Capability for NSX Wafer Inspection System
FLANDERS, N.J.--([ BUSINESS WIRE ])--[ Rudolph Technologies, Inc. ] (NASDAQ: RTEC), a worldwide leader in process characterization solutions for the semiconductor manufacturing industry, today announced that the [ NSX ][ ® ][ Series ] wafer inspection system now includes [ WaferWoRx ][ ® ] probing process analysis. The NSX Series can now identify the root cause of probe test failure mechanisms, providing faster problem resolution and improved yield performance.
"The probing process analysis capability of the WaferWoRx was a key factor in our decision to acquire [ Applied Precision's Semiconductor Division ] in 2007," said Paul F. McLaughlin, Rudolph's chairman and chief executive officer. "We are pleased to announce the successful integration of WaferWoRx with our industry-leading NSX inspection platform, and we consider this milestone a testament to the success of the acquisition."
The NSX System detects probe marks and generates location and size information as well as other parameters. WaferWoRx converts what has been a manual and time-consuming process of gathering scrub data from various tools, correlating the data, and then sifting through for trends to an automated data collection and analysis completed in a single step. WaferWoRx further enhances the process, breaking the overall probing error into its core components (prober, probe card, setup), enabling rapid problem resolution. It can also pre-qualify test cells without risk to production wafers and evaluate the readiness of the probing process for advanced technologies such as multi-DUT and high pin count probe cards. Finally, probe card performance can be tracked to predict the need for maintenance, thereby extending card life and maximizing card availability while avoiding the yield losses that can occur when a card fails during use.
According to Darren James, product manager for probe card test and analysis at Rudolph, "We have streamlined the approach to probing process analysis. What was once an off-line, one-off procedure that required extra time and equipment is now part of a high-throughput in-line system that can be used to identify the root cause of the failure and accelerate its resolution."
The NSX Series provides fast, repeatable, advanced macro inspection to detect defects created during wafer manufacturing, probing, bumping, and dicing or through general handling. Macro defects (0.5 micron and larger) can have a major impact on the quality of a microelectronic device and the yield of the manufacturing process. The NSX uses high speed optical microscopy to identify defective probe marks. This same optical characterization data from a well-designed sample of probe marks serves as the input to the WaferWoRx analysis module for processing and further identification of the error components.
The WaferWoRx probe process analysis capability is available now on the NSX Series, and can be ordered as an upgrade for the NSX 100, NSX 105 or NSX 115 models.
Rudolph Technologies is a worldwide leader in the design, development, manufacture and support of high-performance process control metrology, defect inspection and data analysis systems used by semiconductor device manufacturers. Rudolph provides a full-fab solution through its families of proprietary products that provide critical yield-enhancing information, enabling microelectronic device manufacturers to drive down costs and time to market. The company has enhanced the competitiveness of its products in the marketplace by anticipating and addressing many emerging trends driving the semiconductor industry's growth. Rudolph's strategy for continued technological and market leadership includes aggressive research and development of complementary metrology and inspection solutions. Headquartered in Flanders, New Jersey, Rudolph supports its customers with a worldwide sales and service organization. Additional information can be found on the company's web site at [ www.rudolphtech.com ].
Safe Harbor Statement
This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 (the "Act"). In some cases, you can identify those so-called "forward-looking statements" by words such as "may," "will," "would," "should," "expects," "plans," "anticipates," "believes," "feels," "estimates," "predicts," "potential," or "continue," or the negative of those words and other comparable words. Rudolph wishes to take advantage of the "safe harbor" provided for by the Act and cautions that actual results may differ materially from those projected as a result of various factors, including risks and uncertainties, many of which are beyond Rudolph's control. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from the expectations expressed in such forward-looking statements, include, but are not limited to, the impact of the slowdown in the overall economy, the uncertainty of the current global political environment, the potential for terrorist attacks, the potential for business disruptions due to infectious diseases, changes in customer demands for our existing and new products, the timing, cancellation or delay of customer orders and shipments, the timing of revenue recognition of shipments, new product offerings from our competitors, changes in or an inability to execute Rudolph's business strategy, unanticipated manufacturing or supply problems and changes in tax rules. Rudolph cannot guarantee future results, levels of activity, performance, or achievements. The matters discussed in this press release also involve risks and uncertainties as summarized in Rudolph's Form 10-K report for the year ended December 31, 2007 and other filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC"), which are available at [ http://www.sec.gov ], the SEC's website, and at [ http://www.rudolphtech.com ], the Rudolph website. While these factors may be updated from time to time through the filing of reports and registration statements with the SEC, Rudolph does not assume any obligation to update the forward-looking information contained in this press release.