With current focus of commercializing a multiple-tip scanning probe technology developed at Cornell University, Xallent, LLC is developing testing solutions to support nanoscale characterization of semiconductor devices, energy materials and thin film characterization. Currently focused on integrated circuit forensics - national security area many of Xallents products are designed to enable the semiconductor industry to identify faults in the early stages of fabrication: major cost savings. Characterization and testing of semiconductor materials and devices is fraught with challenges: heavy demand, price pressure and rapid miniaturization With device costs majorly reduced, the cost of testing is now a major driver of transistor cost. When applied to structures <100 nm, conventional characterization and test methods are increasingly ineffective: challenges across R&D, process control and failure analysis. An increasing number of subtle defects become prominent drivers of failure as device size and operating margins decrease, e.g., processing anomalies in thin gate oxides, substrate problems related to doping, line width variations. Many of these are at length scales invisible to traditional scanning electron microscope and optical-based tools, requiring novel approaches.
