Nova Ltd. announced the second-generation Nova Metrion® system for in-line secondary ion mass spectrometry (SIMS). The new Metrion® incorporates key improvements, including increased sensitivity and enhanced charge compensation, and is now available for shipment to customers. The Metrion® system introduces a unique in-line composition profiling capability for key process control measurements, including contamination, residues, and diffusion, which cannot be obtained by other measurement techniques.

This latest version also delivers faster time to results, improved dopant uniformity control, and better depth resolution. The new Metrion® has gone through extensive customer demonstrations in 2023. Based on existing purchase orders and evaluation agreements, the platform will be installed at several leading customers to undergo a qualification process in production lines for the most advanced memory and logic devices.

The company expects to recognize initial revenues from the second-generation Nova Metrion® in the latter half of 2024. Nova Metrion® enables advanced materials profile measurements by bringing secondary ion mass spectrometry into semiconductor production lines. It is designed from the ground up for high-volume manufacturing, seamlessly integrating wafer-level analysis into an automated factory workflow and eliminating the need to send wafer coupons to an external laboratory.

The system deploys a novel detection technology that allows simultaneous acquisition of multiple material species, resulting in higher data density, better depth resolution, and greater sensitivity to small changes in concentration.