Nov. 28, 2006 — Hyphenated Systems, a Burlingame, Calif., provider of hybrid microscopy solutions for three-dimensional imaging and metrology in micro and nanotechnology, announced the release of its new HS200A NanoScale Optical Profiler. The company says the HS200A adds extensive automation capability to the Hyphenated Systems workhorse — the HS200OP — for fast, repeatable non-destructive analyses in critical metrology, inspection, failure analysis and quality control applications.

The system incorporates Hyphenated Systems’ Advanced Confocal Microscopy (ACM) technology that acquires and displays high-resolution (<50nm) three-dimensional images in seconds. The HS200 systems also provide the user with all the capabilities and flexibility of a fully functional, research-grade binocular optical microscope. The system is intended for 3D imaging and metrology of rough or sloped surfaces of MEMS and other semiconductor devices, or imaging subsurfaces through transparent materials.

“Adding automation makes it an even more valuable tool in applications that require a large number of repetitive, routine operations,” said Terence Lundy, Hyphenated Systems’ vice president and general manager, in a prepared statement. “Unlike other 3D metrology techniques, such as scanned laser confocal or interferometry, the HS200OP series also provides the user with a versatile optical microscope, offering a real, viewable optical image and all of the ancillary imaging and analysis capabilities that optical microscopy can support.”

Hyphenated Systems’ new optical profiler is designed for fast, repeatable non-destructive analyses in critical metrology, inspection, failure analysis and quality control applications.

The NanoScale Optical Profiler acquires a series of images that slice through the sample at varying heights, then combines these images into a three-dimensional model of the sample. Its ability to collect data simultaneously through multiple confocal apertures greatly accelerates the data acquisition process, allowing it to construct and display 3D images in seconds.

The company says the new automation capabilities of the HS200A add more speed to routine tasks and improve the repeatability of measurements by removing the variability associated with the operator. The HS200A can move the sample to predefined locations, find features of interest and acquire measurements — without operator intervention, and without the variability introduced by operator judgment, differences between operators, or operator fatigue.