Supply of 200mm Wafer-Capable Ultra-High Resolution Scanning Electron Microscope to University of Southampton

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The University of Southampton awarded a contract to FEI UK Ltd for the supply of a 200mm wafer-capable, ultra-high resolution scanning electron microscope (UHR-SEM) for the Zepler Cleanrooms.

The equipment is intended to enable efficient wafer-scale fabrication, process waste reduction, and sustainable resource management through routine imaging and materials analysis, while remaining accessible for operation and training across a diverse academic research user base.

The sub-nanometre UHR-SEM is designed for fast imaging to shorten the inspection loop in wafer-scale device fabrication and maintain quality of material platforms and lithographic tolerances.

The acquisition supports the Zepler Cleanrooms' aims to be a centre for wafer-scale analysis of material, device performance, and fabrication quality management, to be part of the UK semiconductor fabrication ecosystem supporting 200mm wafer-scale processing, and to provide national semiconductor research and development capability for high-throughput inspection and process yield evaluation for up to 200mm wafers.

The contract value is £1,445,700.