India, Aug. 13 -- imec metrology experts Anne-Laure Charley (R&D metrology manager), and Philippe Leray (VP R&D advanced patterning development), presented a keynote retrospective on 40 years of in-fab metrology and inspection at the 2026 SPIE Advanced Lithography and Patterning conference, subsequently published in Electronics Weekly on 27 July.

The retrospective structures four decades of metrology evolution against four defining periods:

* Happy scaling era through 2005 dominated by optical metrology and the introduction of CD-SEM and scatterometry;

* Device innovation period that added x-ray techniques and inspection for 193nm immersion lithography;

* FinFET era that introduced 3D metrology, and he edge placement error framework; ...