MILPITAS, Calif., June 6, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- KLA-Tencor Corporation™ (NASDAQ: KLAC), the world's leading supplier of process control and yield management solutions for the semiconductor and related industries, today introduced FabVision™ Solar. The new integrated solution is designed to help photovoltaic (PV) cell manufacturers improve production yield and profitability by enabling manufacturers to react more quickly to metrology and defectivity excursions. FabVision Solar leverages KLA-Tencor's ICOS® PVI-6 data through a wide range of analysis and monitoring features to provide better control and improve visibility into the manufacturing process.

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"Since testing FabVision Solar with the PVI-6 tool in recent months, the speed and accuracy of our defect analysis processes has significantly improved, contributing to overall increased yield," said Wouter Verbist, process specialist at Photovoltech. "We believe this product is positioned to become a necessity for world-class solar cell manufacturers looking to increase efficiency and improve yield by quickly identifying and understanding defectivity root cause, enabling effective proactive decisions that impact bottom-line results."

FabVision Solar is a turn-key, integrated solution for PV cell manufacturing that complements customers' existing automated optical inspection strategies. With FabVision Solar, users can now identify the root cause of defectivity issues by applying production-proven defectivity and metrology methodologies from the integrated circuit (IC) and wafer markets that are designed specifically for ICOS PVI-6 tools and optimized for the solar industry. Previously the PV manufacturing market relied on time-consuming manual analysis methods.

"The introduction of FabVision Solar fills a void in the PV cell manufacturing market for real-time predictive analysis," said Jeff Donnelly, group vice president, Growth and Emerging Markets (GEM) at KLA-Tencor. "Implementing data collection, defectivity and line-monitoring best practices enables our PVI-6 tool owners to take proactive measures throughout the manufacturing process. The ability to review in-line data at any point, not just for excursions, dramatically shifts our customers toward predictive action."

FabVision Solar includes:

    --  Excursion/process monitoring (statistical process control): provides
        process control through in-line monitoring of all PVI-6 measurement
        parameters and alarms/email notifications on excursions
    --  Automated report generation: increases visibility into manufacturing
        process with time-based automated reporting analysis of optical
        inspection measurement results from multiple inspection modules across
        multiple fab manufacturing lines
    --  Detection of repeating defects and warning capabilities: enables quick
        reaction to excursions with configurable rules set by proximity, defect
        type and frequency of occurrence; and real-time alarms for email
        notification and on-tool warning
    --  Defect signature identification using multiple wafer/cell stacking:
        provides means to visualize defect signatures or frequently impacted
        wafer/cell locations for root cause understanding and action in the
        production line
    --  Eased problem identification through wafer/cell image review: captures
        wafer/cell images and data from the PVI-6 and allows complete review of
        images complemented by eased navigation through data

FabVision Solar will be on display at InterSolar Europe from June 8–10, at the New Munich Trade Fair Center in Germany. To see a product demo, visit KLA-Tencor's booth A5.337. FabVision Solar complements KLA-Tencor's large installed base of market-leading ICOS solar cell and wafer inspection tools. All inspection tools are backed by KLA-Tencor's global, comprehensive service network. For more information, please visit the FabVision Solar product web page.

About KLA-Tencor:  

KLA-Tencor Corporation (NASDAQ: KLAC), a leading provider of process control and yield management solutions, partners with customers around the world to develop state-of-the-art inspection and metrology technologies. These technologies serve the semiconductor, data storage, LED, photovoltaic, and other related nanoelectronics industries. With a portfolio of industry-standard products and a team of world-class engineers and scientists, the company has created superior solutions for its customers for more than 30 years. Headquartered in Milpitas, Calif., KLA-Tencor has dedicated customer operations and service centers around the world. Additional information may be found online at www.kla-tencor.com. (KLAC-P)

Forward Looking Statements:

Statements in this press release other than historical facts, such as statements regarding the FabVision Solar's expected performance, expected future developments in PV cell inspection, and the anticipated cost, operational and other benefits realizable by users of the FabVision Solar solution, are forward-looking statements, and are subject to the Safe Harbor provisions created by the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These forward-looking statements are based on current information and expectations, and involve a number of risks and uncertainties. Actual results may differ materially from those projected in such statements due to various factors, including delays in the adoption of new technologies (whether due to cost or performance issues or otherwise), the introduction of competing products by other companies or unanticipated technological challenges or limitations that affect the implementation, performance or use of KLA-Tencor's products.

SOURCE KLA-Tencor Corporation