Nikon 2006 Annual Report Download - page 18

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REVIEW OF OPERATIONS
INSTRUMENTS
16
Launched Automatic Macro Inspection System
AMI-3300 for 300mm wafers featuring the world’s fi rst
55 nm process
Nikon’s AMI series of automatic macro inspection systems ensure high-speed
detection of pattern profi le variations on the entire surface of the wafer by way
of the company’s original optical image processing technology. This informa-
tion is then fed back into the process, thereby allowing more effi cient process
management. Not only do these systems replace visual macro inspection with
automated macro inspection, they also offer improved macro inspection ac-
curacy as well as greater inspection quantization, making them indispensable
in semiconductor mass-production process lines. Model AMI-3300 is confi g-
ured with the newly developed PER (Pattern Edge Roughness) optical system,
enabling inspection of pattern profi le variations at a line-width of 55 nm, which
is a world-fi rst. Besides exceptional detection sensitivity, it allows high-speed,
full-surface inspection of 300mm wafers at the remarkable throughput of over
150 wafers per hour.
Newly-developed BioStation series for the observation
and cultivation of live cells
Leveraging its long-standing capabilities in microscopic technology, Nikon has
developed the BioStation CT (Cell Tracking) and BioStation IM (cell IMaging)
cell culture observation systems to meet needs in the growing market for live
cell observation. The BioStation CT enables the stable and safe cultivation of
cells and facilitates quality control. The BioStation IM (shown at left), which
provides video images of cell activities, is suitable for time-lapse imaging of
cultured cells. Nikon seeks to provide new solutions to all users in the fi eld of
cell observation.