Precise material characterization and metrology play a critical role in the success of semiconductor development and manufacturing, especially as the industry continues to advance toward more complex and miniaturized technologies and larger wafer sizes (like 300mm wafers).

In R&D, the increased wafer size allows for more test structures and design variations to be included on a single wafer. This is particularly beneficial, as it enables faster iteration and optimization of processes and device designs, accelerating the pace of innovation. This is particularly the case if characterization is done non-destructively on 300mm-enabled instruments.

At Covalent, we are able to handle comprehensive analysis and measurement needs for 300mm wafers, supporting semiconductor scientists and engineers in achieving unparalleled precision and performance in their products. Our state-of-the-art facility houses a number of 300mm-ready instruments and we partner with a network of labs that complement what we offer on site, here in Silicon Valley and Nationally.

Access to characterization techniques that can take whole 300mm wafers in non-destructive fashion allows to measure and then resume processing the wafer. This  makes a difference in how fast experiments can be conducted and how fast tools can be qualified.

Our Services for Semiconductor Industry Professionals

• Material Characterization: Comprehensive analysis of materials to uncover composition, impurities, and structural integrity
• Dimensional Metrology: Precise measurements of critical dimensions, film thickness, and profiles to ensure process control and product quality
• Defect Analysis: Identification and analysis of surface and subsurface defects to improve yield and performance
• Process Development Support: Detailed measurements and analysis to support process optimization and innovation
• Quality Control and Assurance: Routine and advanced inspections to maintain high standards of quality and reliability

How we partner with researchers and engineers to empower them to keep innovating:

• High-quality data and actionable insights: we work collaboratively with our customers to ensure we perform the right measurement and so that the data we collect is useful in answering the questions they have
• Fast turnaround: we understand speed to data is key to iterate quickly and for our customers to be successful
• Small batches are OK: we can work on wafers one at a time
• Modern instruments: our lab is equipped wit state of the art instruments for better data and faster turnaround
• Priced right: we are competitive on pricing, and can work creatively with customers to make large volumes of samples and fast iterations on process development more affordable.

Instruments accepting 300mm Wafers

Covalent’s unique lineup of techniques for 300mm wafers allows for non-destructive characterization:

	Accepts 300mm Wafers	Located in Sunnyvale, CA	Mapping Enabled	Housed in Cleanroom (class 10,000)
Ellipsometry	✓	✓	✓
2D and 3D Optical Microscopy	✓	✓	✓	✓
ED-XRF	✓	✓	✓	✓
WD-XRF	✓	✓	✓	✓
TXRF		✓
Raman Spectroscopy / Microscopy		✓
Auger Electron Microscopy			Imaging
SIMS		✓
XPS		✓
HR-SEM (w/ EDS)		✓
CD-SEM (w/ EDS)	✓		Imaging
TEM Lamella Prep	✓
S/TEM (w/ EDS and EELS)		✓
AFM	✓	✓
XRD	✓	✓		✓
XRR	✓	✓		✓
Optical Profilometry	✓	✓	Imaging
SP1 Particle Counting	✓	✓	✓
VPD-ICPMS	✓		✓
Thermal Desorption (TD) GCMS	✓		✓