Chip manufacturers deploy advanced macro-defect inspection throughout the fab to monitor key process steps, gather process-enhancing information and ultimately, lower manufacturing costs. Field-established tools such as the AXi™ and NSX^® are found in wafer processing (front-end) and final manufacturing (back-end) facilities around the world. These high-speed tools incorporate features such as waferless recipe creation, tool-to-tool correlation and multiple inspection resolutions. In addition to wafer frontside inspection, Rudolph’s innovative Explorer^® Cluster incorporates wafer edge and backside inspection in one integrated platform to enhance productivity and continuously improve fab yield. Using products such as Discover^® and Genesis software, the vast amount of data gathered through automated inspection can be analyzed and classified to determine trends that ultimately affect yield.