Automated nanoscale optical profiler
-- Test & Measurement World, 11/28/2006 8:04:00 AM
Hyphenated Systems, a provider of hybrid microscopy systems for 3-D imaging and metrology in micro and nanotechnology, has announced the release of its HS200A NanoScale optical profiler. The HS200A adds automation capability to Hyphenated Systems’ HS200OP to provide repeatable nondestructive analyses in critical metrology, inspection, failure-analysis, and quality-control applications.
The system incorporates Hyphenated Systems’ patented Advanced Confocal Microscopy (ACM) technology, which acquires and displays high-resolution (less than 50-nm) 3-D 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 ideal for 3D imaging and metrology of rough or sloped surfaces of MEMS and other semiconductor devices.
“The HS200 has proven its value as the most flexible microscope platform in a wide range of applications,” said Terence Lundy, Hyphenated Systems’ VP and GM. “Adding automation makes it an even more valuable tool in applications that require a large number of repetitive, routine operations. Unlike other 3-D 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.”
The NanoScale optical profiler acquires a series of images that slice through the sample at varying heights, then combines these images into a 3-D model of the sample. Its unique 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 automation capabilities of the HS200A add 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.
