Inspecting nanotechnology
Steve Scheiber, Contributing Technical Editor -- Test & Measurement World, 6/23/2006 2:28:00 PM
Introducing nanotechnology into the circuitry of electronic products presents challenges at all stages of their manufacturing cycle. In addition to complicating the production process itself, tiny circuit features complicate the twin tasks of test and inspection.
In a paper presented at the New Exploratory Technologies conference in Finland last October, Keith Bryant and Dr. David Bernard of Dage X-ray Systems (www.dage-group.com) explained that conventional open-tube analog x-ray systems cannot recognize circuit features below 3000 nm or 3 microns. Their alternative? A digital x-ray system that incurs no loss of information when sending image data between the image intensifier and the monitor. Digital methods can reduce minimum feature-recognition size to 600 nm (0.6 microns), which is better but still too high for inspecting nanocircuits. Open-tube x-ray tube designs can go no lower.
Bryant and Bernard suggest one way to improve the situation. Because an inspection system x-ray image is in fact a synthesis of many real-time snapshots, the more stable the sample, the clearer the image. Thus, Bryant and Bernard recommend removing vibrations caused by external sources and within the equipment from the sample tray by fastening the sample table, x-ray source, and digital image intensifier to active air mounts. This simple step can dramatically improve image quality and resolution.
You can read their complete paper, which includes example images, at the Dage Web site.
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