May 28, 2008 - Qcept Technologies and European R&D organization CEA-Leti have inked a deal to investigate techniques for characterizing leading-edge semiconductor materials and processes, including high-/low-k dielectrics, atomic layer deposition (ALD), fully silicided (FUSI) metal gates, and advanced cleaning technologies. Under the deal, Qcept's ChemetriQ non-visual defect inspection has been installed at CEA-Leti's facility in Grenoble, France, to augment existing process characterization capabilities.

"Advanced materials and processes, such as high-k dielectrics and metal gates, have the potential to significantly enhance the performance of future generations of semiconductor devices. However, their complexity can give rise to new and unique yield problems, which require innovative inspection methods," said Adrien Danel, lead research engineer at CEA-Leti, in a statement. "This partnership with Qcept can help us to better understand the yield issues surrounding these materials and processes in order to speed their development and integration into full-scale manufacturing."

"Working with CEA-Leti will provide us with a unique opportunity to have early access to these advanced technologies -- allowing us to qualify our ChemetriQ solution for some of the industry's most cutting-edge applications," added Ralph Spicer, VP of marketing for Qcept.

In March of this year, Atlanta, GA-based Qcept raised another $9.5M in a Series C round of funding, bringing the overall total financing raised to roughly $25M.