Infinitesima is moving angstrom-scale metrology from the lab into production, with CEOchief executive officerCEO identifies the company’s top executive who made the statement. Peter Jenkins describing a strategy built around direct, non-destructive 3D measurement of chip structures. The company’s Metron3D platform is presented as a fully automated in-line system derived from its Rapid Probe Microscope, a hybrid optical and AFMatomic force microscopyScanning-probe method using a sharp tip to map surface topography at nanometer scale. approach designed for high-throughput process control.
The company says the system resolves features with a lateral pixel size of about 0.2 nm, roughly the scale of a single silicon atom. That level of detail is intended to address process steps that are becoming too small and too complex for conventional inspection methods. Jenkins contrasts the approach with optical scatterometry, CDcritical dimensionKey measured feature size of a semiconductor pattern, such as a line width.-SEM1. scanning electron microscopyImaging technique that scans a focused electron beam across a sample.2. specific equipment modelComputational method or mathematical model for simulating, describing or optimizing technical systems.3. scanning electron microscopeSEM images are used for high-resolution inspection and measurement. and TEM1. transmission electron microscopyMicroscopy technique for imaging and characterizing fine material structures.2. transverse electromagnetic: scatterometry depends on model rebuilding for each new structure, CDcritical dimensionKey measured feature size of a semiconductor pattern, such as a line width.-SEM1. scanning electron microscopyImaging technique that scans a focused electron beam across a sample.2. specific equipment modelComputational method or mathematical model for simulating, describing or optimizing technical systems.3. scanning electron microscopeSEM images are used for high-resolution inspection and measurement. lacks 3D capability, and TEM1. transmission electron microscopyMicroscopy technique for imaging and characterizing fine material structures.2. transverse electromagnetic is destructive and too slow for statistically useful data.
Infinitesima positions throughput as the key differentiator. Traditional AFMatomic force microscopyScanning-probe method using a sharp tip to map surface topography at nanometer scale. is accurate but slow, while the company’s hybrid system uses laser-based probe actuation and 3-axis interferometric tracking to reach higher speed without relying on multiple matched AFMatomic force microscopyScanning-probe method using a sharp tip to map surface topography at nanometer scale. heads. The company says this architecture supports cost-effective production use rather than only laboratory characterization.
Hybrid bonding is described as the strongest application area today. In advanced packaging, high-bandwidth memory and heterogeneous integration schemes, direct 3D measurement is most valuable for copper pad recess and dishing. Infinitesima emphasizes that a bonding mistake can permanently commit two finished wafers, making pre-bond geometry control critical. The same platform is said to cover die-by-die measurement, long-range profiling and large-area scanning, replacing several separate tools.
The roadmap also includes CMP1. chemical mechanical planarizationFlattening of wafer surfaces through combined chemical and mechanical material removal.2. chemical mechanical polishingWafer planarization combining chemical reactions with mechanical material removal. flatness, EUVextreme ultravioletExtremely short-wavelength ultraviolet radiation; EUV lithography uses about 13.5 nm light. resist metrology as High-NAnumerical apertureOptical measure of the light-gathering angle of a lens, related to resolution. deployment ramps, and post-etch 3D metrology. A three-year program with imec is focused on hybrid wafer bonding, High-NAnumerical apertureOptical measure of the light-gathering angle of a lens, related to resolution. EUVextreme ultravioletExtremely short-wavelength ultraviolet radiation; EUV lithography uses about 13.5 nm light. and CFETcomplementary field-effect transistorA transistor architecture that vertically stacks NMOS and PMOS devices. transistor structures. Infinitesima says these are among the most challenging emerging processes for advanced chip manufacturing.
Customer pain points are framed around cycle time, yield ramp and cost. Longer learning loops from OCD modeling and volume TEM1. transmission electron microscopyMicroscopy technique for imaging and characterizing fine material structures.2. transverse electromagnetic, along with the risk of undetected excursions, are presented as major issues in advanced manufacturing. The company says customers want measurement data that keeps pace with the line and shortens process development cycles.
Infinitesima is also developing Multiprobe, a parallel scanning platform that uses many probes at once so throughput scales with probe count. The company says the enabling subsystems are already demonstrated, including parallel interferometric detection and fabricated multi-lever probe arrays. The goal is large-area surface metrology and full-die measurements at nanometre scale in minutes rather than hours.
Jenkins said customer adoption typically begins with evaluations on the customer’s own wafers, followed by fab-side testing before volume release. He pointed to SK hynix as an example of that qualification path. The company says trust is critical because metrology tools, once qualified into a process, are rarely replaced.