Nanometrics Incorporated, a supplier of advanced process control metrology systems used primarily in the manufacturing and packaging of semiconductors, solar photovoltaics and high-brightness LEDs, today announced multiple orders from new and existing HB-LED customers for RPMBlue™ and IVS185™ metrology systems, which will be used for photoluminescence (PL) mapping and critical dimension and overlay control, respectively. These systems are scheduled to be delivered and qualified in the fourth quarter of this year.

“We have continued to extend our leadership position in HB-LED metrology and process control with our newest PL mapping system, the RPMBlue,” commented Tom Ryan, Director of the Materials Characterization Business Unit at Nanometrics. “Our customers in Asia are adopting the high-productivity RPMBlue to support the rapidly-growing application of HB-LEDs for backlighting of notebook and LCD televisions. This latest round of RPMBlue orders comes from end-device manufacturers as well as a leading MOCVD reactor supplier. As the HB-LED process flow becomes increasingly complex, it drives the requirement for improved control of overlay and critical dimensions in the patterning process. Our IVS185 system, shipping for the first time to an HB-LED customer, is a cost-effective solution that incorporates both overlay and CD control in a single tool, with extendibility across multiple substrate sizes.”