Image Qualification versus Direct Mask Inspection: And the Winner Is

September 25, 2007 (Pleasanton, CA) – Wright Williams & Kelly, Inc. (WWK), a cost & productivity management software and consulting services company, announced today that it has published a report examining the cost structures of competing, on-going, mask defect inspection strategies for 193nm scanners operating at the 65nm node. The report addresses litho cell availability, inspection costs, opportunity costs, and mask costs. The report shows when each strategy is more cost effective. The report can also be customized for specific assumption sets and the data can be provided in TWO COOL® format. TWO COOL® is the semiconductor industry’s de facto standard for cost of ownership (COO) and overall equipment efficiency (OEE) modeling.

“With the cost of litho clusters well in excess of $20 million, it is critical that these bottleneck tools be highly utilized,” states David Jimenez, President of WWK. “Inspection strategies dramatically impact equipment utilization and capital productivity. However, with masks having the potential to cost in excess of $100,000 each, it is also important to understand when your inspection strategy will require back up mask sets and how those decisions ultimately impact the bottom line.”

For more information regarding the purchase of this report or customization options, including cycle time and work-in-process (WIP) impacts, contact WWK directly at 925-399-6246 or at [email protected].

With more than 3,000 users worldwide, Wright Williams & Kelly, Inc. is the largest privately held operational cost management software and consulting company serving technology-dependent and technology-driven organizations. WWK maintains long-term relationships with prominent industry resources including SEMATECH, SELETE, Semiconductor Equipment and Materials International (SEMI), and national labs and universities. Its client base includes nearly all of the top 20 semiconductor manufacturers and equipment and materials suppliers as well as leaders in nanotechnology, micro-electro-mechanical systems (MEMS), thin film record heads, magnetic media, flat panel displays, and solar panels.

WWK’s product line includes TWO COOL® for detailed process step level cost of ownership (COO) and overall equipment efficiency (OEE), PRO COOL® for process flow and test cell costing, Factory Commander® for full factory capacity analysis and activity based costing, and Factory Explorer® for cycle time reduction and WIP planning. Additionally, WWK offers a highly flexible product management software package that helps sales forces eliminate errors in product configuration and quotation processes.

Call today for more information from Wright Williams & Kelly, Inc. Providing software solutions for productivity measurement and enhancement since 1991.