National NanoFab Center (NNFC) will adopt Nextin semiconductor inspection equipment to advance 12-inch wafer-based test bed service. It is expected to accelerate the commercialization of products by domestic semiconductor manufacturing companies,by expanding the service range from the 12-inch pattern wafer manufacturing center to foreign material and circuit error inspection.

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<Nextin Semiconductor Inspection Equipment Aegis>

NNFC announced on the 7th that it recently introduced Nextin semiconductor inspection equipment 'AEGIS' and started a test bed service. Nextin Aegis device can inspect semiconductor wafer defects and identify wafer foreign substances (particles) or 10-nano-scale ultra-fine pattern defects, by using high-resolution optical technology. It has excellent and wideapplicabilitysince it can inspect both 8-inch (200mm) and 12-inch (300mm) wafers.

NNFC is an organization that supports R&D and commercialization of products by SMEs and venture companies through joint use of semiconductor equipment and facilities. In March, it built a 12-inch semiconductor test bedby introducing a semiconductor clean room and 10 core equipment. It is to create a state-of-the-art process test bed environment by expanding the existing 8-inch wafer-based service. This is a measure to respond to the demand for manufacturing and R&D of12-inch wafer-based semiconductor from the domestic industry, academia, and research community.

However, the 12-inch service was limited to the production of patterned wafers with circuits or material evaluation. There was a limit to pattern wafer error and foreign material inspection, which had a decisive effect on mass production. Accordingly, NNFC decided to adopt Nextin semiconductor inspection equipment, considering the demand from semiconductor manufacturers.

It is expected that domestic materials, parts, and equipment companies will obtain semiconductor process test results like the production environment of large companies such as Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix by expanding the NNFC service. The speed of the commercialization of semiconductor products is also expected to accelerate. A Nextin official expected that “NNFC process service will be upgraded to a higher level.”

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<National NanoFab Center (NNFC) built a 12-inch semiconductor test bed for the first time in Korea to support materials, parts, and equipment (minister manager) companies, and started its official service in March. Firms can reduce the time and cost required for technology independence through rapid performance testing of semiconductor core materials. A researcher is looking at a 12-inch wafer that has completed diffusion process at National NanoFab Center in Yuseong-gu, Daejeon. Daejeon = Reporter Dong-geun Lee foto@etnews.com>

NNFC plans to expand the introduction of semiconductor equipment for 12-inch test beds. An NNFC official said, "We plan to expand the range of services by increasing equipment in various ways, such as purchasing idle equipment from large semiconductor firms and optimizing them for our test bed."

By Dong-junKwon, Staff Reporter djkwon@etnews.com