Sonoscan has announced its AW322 200 fully automated system for ultrasonic inspection of MEMS wafers. Based on Sonoscan’s C-SAM technology, the system images and identifies internal gap-type defects down to 5 microns in size. It is especially useful for finding non-bonds, voids and other defects in the seals surrounding the MEMS wafer cavities.

AW322 200 system features include:

• Two loadports, two stages and multiple transducers, enabling it to image two 8-inch MEMS wafers simultaneously.  Other models in the AW series are available to accommodate wafer sizes from 100-300mm.

• The SECS/GEM-enabled Robotic Handling Station includes alignment and drying operations.

• Waterfall technology to minimize water exposure during scanning.

• Sonoscan’s advanced analysis software for accurate application of the user’s accept/reject criteria.

In operation, the Robotic Handling Station counts and unloads wafers from the carriers, aligns wafers for scanning and positions wafers on the stage. The transducers travel over 1 m/s while pulsing ultrasound at frequencies up to 230 MHz and receiving thousands of return echoes per second.  Both the transducers and the 500 MHz bandwidth pulser/receiver were designed and manufactured by Sonoscan.

The key defects imaged in MEMS wafers are non-bonds of the seal to a wafer, voids within the seal material and other gap-type defects that can compromise the hermeticity of the cavity.

After scanning, both the acoustic wafer image and the wafer data can be used for accept/reject determination. Criteria are defined by the user with respect to acceptable defect counts and sizes.

White areas in this 230 MHz Sonoscan acoustic image show incomplete (left) and complete (right) breaks in the seal around MEMS cavities.

Radiant Zemax, a provider of light and color test and measurement systems, announces the release of the ProMetric Y line of imaging photometers. Optimized for use in high volume production environments, these specialized camera systems, available in 16 and 29MP models, are ideal for a wide range of quality inspection applications in consumer electronics, lighting, automotive, aerospace, and other industries. Paired with Radiant Zemax’s TrueTest analysis software, ProMetric Y delivers a complete factory test solution for measuring brightness, gauging uniformity, and detecting defects and surface flaws in flat panel displays, illuminated keyboards, instrument panels, and other products.

Imaging photometers and colorimeters increase output with improved accuracy and speed over manual inspection methods, delivering a high return on investment. Out-of-spec products can be corrected or rejected before they make it into the supply chain and into the hands of customers, reducing returns and protecting brand integrity.

Radiant Zemax has developed its latest technologies to meet the needs of its high-volume production customers, introducing its ProMetric I family of colorimeters in 2013, and now the ProMetric Y series photometers. Like the ProMetric I series, ProMetric Y is built around a cooled interline CCD sensor and incorporates an electronic shutter for fast image capture. ProMetric Y series is further optimized for faster measurements to achieve even shorter takt times. Housed in an all new, compact and lightweight housing, it occupies less space on the production line and represents a cost-effective solution for applications where color operation is not required. The ProMetric Y16 and ProMetric Y29 both incorporate “Smart Technology” for easy set up and use, and feature a 12-bit dynamic range for high performance measurement.

“Many of our production test customers can accomplish their applications using photometric measurements”, explains Doug Kreysar, Chief Solutions Officer at Radiant Zemax. “We improved upon the high resolution and flexibility of our existing CCD technology, giving it all-new electronics, and housed it in a rugged, compact package to provide these customers a best-in-class photometer that is both cost-effective and highly capable.”

The ProMetric Y family comes standard with Radiant Zemax’s ProMetric image analysis software; it can be paired to TrueTest™ Automated Visual Inspection system to provide a complete, turnkey solution or the application-specific PM-KB for automated visual inspection of illuminated keyboards.

Brewer Science, a supplier of advanced materials, processes, and equipment to the microelectronics industry, announced today the first commercial placement of a Cee 300MXD megasonic developer. This innovative developer was commissioned by MicroChem Corp., another well-known member of the microelectronics industry.

The Brewer ScienceCee 300MXD megasonic developer applies uniform acoustic energy to spinning substrates to gently dissolve and remove films and residues without damaging fragile device structures. This precision handling results in stable dimensional control of vertical profiles uniformly across the wafer surface, enabling fabrication of high-aspect-ratio structures for the MEMS, display, compound semiconductor, and advanced packaging markets. Applications include radio-frequency (RF) power, MEMS, sensors, and acoustic wave devices used for wireless communication.

“MicroChem is very pleased to team with Brewer Science on what we believe could be an enabling technology for the future,” said Michael Stan, Applications Engineering Manager for MicroChem Corp. “As the MEMS industry and integrated packaging technology continue to demand higher-aspect-ratio structures for TSV and RDL layers, enhanced development techniques will likely become mainstream. The cost-effective approach being pioneered by Brewer Science gives a supplier such as MicroChem Corp. the advantage of being able to rapidly prototype formulations and processes to meet these demands,” he added.

“The Cee 300MXD developer features state-of-the-art technology that creates a viable pathway for our customers to decrease process cycle times, reduce cost of ownership, and accelerate time to market,” said Justin Furse, Brewer Science Equipment Technology Strategist.

The Cee 300MXD megasonic developer gives customers an ideal bridge from the lab to production by allowing them to avoid significant capital investment. Our semi-automated equipment delivers quality and precision comparable to automatic multimillion-dollar tools and is suitable for low-volume prototyping with a seamless transition to high-volume manufacturing.

Verity Instruments, Inc. is pleased to announce the availability of its new SP2100 Spectral Reflectometer designed for film thickness measurement for in-situ and in-line applications.

The SP2100 consists of a high performance spectrometer and Xenon flashlamp with a number of unique features.  These include a two-dimensional, thermoelectrically cooled CCD array that enables the system to simultaneously monitor one to six fiber optic inputs allowing uniformity measurements of up to six points on the same substrate. The integrated Xenon flashlamp provides high intensity, wide spectral range illumination with the ability to separate contaminating background light using an alternating flashlamp mode, along with the ability to provide unblurred measurements in the case of a moving substrate.

The SP2100 is supplied with Verity’s proprietary SpectraView application software that includes various model based and fringe counting thin film measurement algorithms. System integration is possible using RS232 (serial or protocol- based), Ethernet, or Digital I/O communication, and a variety of optical collimators are available for tool integration.

Kimberly-Clark Professional has introduced a new glove that is designed to provide process protection for the semiconductor and electronics industries.

Kimtech Pure G3 EvT Nitrile Gloves offer high performance, durability and value. Free of natural rubber latex, these Extra-Value Technology gloves are preferred by cleanroom operators for overall tactile performance. They also offer:

·      Superior comfort
·      Easy donning
·      Enhanced grip

“These gloves offer peace of mind in industries where a single spec of dust on a worker’s glove can ruin a $10,000 wafer,” said Carolina Krevolin, category manager, Scientific Gloves, Kimberly-Clark Professional. “Plus they deliver cleanliness, value and sustainability.”

Kimtech Pure G3 EvT Nitrile Gloves are recyclable through the RightCycle by Kimberly-Clark Professional program – the first large-scale recycling program for non-hazardous laboratory waste. They also save space and reduce waste via environmentally responsible packaging that results in 50 percent more gloves per case (providing 33 percent more storage space) and 34 percent less waste.

Kimberly-Clark Professional is a provider of contamination control solutions for cleanrooms and laboratories. Through the RightCycle Program, the business has helped divert 130,000 pounds of disposable garments and 30,000 pounds of nitrile gloves from landfills.

UVOTECH Systems, Inc., a manufacturer and distributor of surface treatment equipment, announced the release of a new UV-Ozone Cleaning System, Model HELIOS-500. This is the first product in the HELIOS series of UV-Ozone Cleaners by UVOTECH.

The HELIOS-500 system is designed to be very compact, lightweight and economical. It includes an ultraviolet grid lamp for increased uniformity as well as a digital process timer which allows more accurate control over the process time. The drawer loading sample stage can accommodate up to 5”x5” substrates. Included pedestals allow for adjusting the distance between the UV source and substrate. This system also comes with a built-in hour-counter which will record the total hours of the UV lamp usage for maintenance purposes.

The UV Ozone Cleaning process is a photo-sensitized oxidation process in which the contaminant molecules of photo resists, resins, human skin oil, cleaning solvent residues, silicone oils, and flux are excited and/or dissociated by the absorption of short wavelength UV radiation. Atomic oxygen is simultaneously generated when molecular oxygen is dissociated by 185nm and ozone by 254nm ultraviolet wavelengths. The 254nm UV radiation is absorbed by most hydrocarbons and also by ozone. The products of this excitation of contaminant molecules react with atomic oxygen to form simpler, volatile molecules, which desorbs from the surface. Therefore, when both UV wavelengths are present atomic oxygen is continuously generated, and ozone is continually formed and destroyed.

Using a UV-Ozone Cleaner, near atomically clean surfaces can be achieved in minutes without any damage to your devices. This fast method of obtaining ultra-clean surfaces free of organic contaminants on most substrates, such as quartz, silicon, gold, nickel, aluminum, gallium arsenide, alumina, glass slides, etc. can easily be achieved by utilizing a UV-Ozone Cleaner in just a few minutes.

NanoWorld AG announced the official commercialization of six types of Ultra-Short Cantilevers (USC) dedicated for use in High-Speed Atomic Force Microscopy (HS-AFM).

High Speed Atomic Force Microscopy is a quickly evolving technique within the field of Scanning Probe Microscopy that enables the users of dedicated instruments and AFM probes to visualize dynamic processes at the single molecule level.

After a very successful beta-testing phase, six types of AFM probes for high speed scanning will be commercially available from now on.

In order to provide a suitable probe for the complete range of high speed scanning applications, the Ultra-Short Cantilevers series consist of six different types of AFM probes divided in 2 categories.

Three types of Ultra-Short Cantilevers with very high resonance frequencies (1.2 MHz – 5 MHz) and high force constants are mainly meant for use in dynamic mode applications in air.

All AFM probes of the USC type feature a wear resistant  tip made from High Density Carbon/Diamond Like Carbon (HDC/DLC) with a typical tip height of 2.5 µm and a radius of curvature typically < 10 nm. The aspect ratio is typically 5:1 and the tilt compensation is 8°.

The cantilevers are coated with gold on both sides but the tip remains uncoated.