Thin Film Process Monitors

Thin film process monitors such as quartz crystal microbalances, ellipsometers or spectrometers for in-situ monitoring are used to control thin film deposition rates or composition during thin film processing. A thin film process monitor can measure temperature, growth rate, and refractive index in molecular beam epitaxy (MBE) and metal-organic vapor phase deposition (MOCVD) processes. Two-wavelength reflectometry in normal or specular geometry allows thin film process monitors to measure the growth rate of thickness as low as 10 nm within a resolution better than 1 nm.

An ellipsometer measures the refractive index and the thickness of semi-transparent thin films. Thin film process monitors such as ellipsometers can be used to measure layers as thin as 1 nm up to several microns thick. Ellipsometers are used to accurately determine the thicknesses of thin films, identify materials and thin layers, and characterize surfaces. An extremely sensitive mass sensor, a quartz crystal microbalance (QCM) device is capable of measuring mass changes in nanogram ranges. These types of thin film process monitors are piezoelectric devices made of a thin plate of quartz with electrodes affixed to each side of a plate. Examples of QCM measurement instruments are quartz crystals, thin film deposition monitors, and thin film controllers.

A spectrometer is an instrument that measures the wavelength of electromagnetic radiation. When studying the planets, scientists use these types of thin film process monitors to collect separate wavelengths of light. The light received from a planet is separated by means of a mirror or several mirrors, and then into separate wavelengths. In this way, spectrometers help scientists determine what makes up a planet. A reflectometer is a downward-facing pyranometer used to measure reflected solar radiation. Thin film process monitors such as a reflectometer can be used to characterize the reflectance of ultra thin gate oxides and chemically amplified deep ultraviolet (UV) photo resist thin films. Reflection high-energy electron diffraction (RHEED) is a process in which electrons arrive at a grazing angle for an analyzed surface. This is similar to providing structural information as neutron diffraction.

• Endpoint Detection / Plasma Diagnostics
  Endpoint detection of plasma etching, CMP, or other processes usually occurs through spectral analysis of the plasma, precursor gases, or thin film layers. In plasma etching, endpoint detection is...
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• Deposition Control and Measurement
  The SQM-160 measures thickness and deposition rate of the thin film deposition process. The base unit can monitor from 2 independent measurement channels. Four relays are available to control source...
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• Near Infrared ( NIR ) Applications with Miniature Fiber Optic Spectrometers
  Miniature fiber optic spectrometers that interface to computers have been around for about 10 years. These small instruments are low-cost and therefore widely used in many different industrial...
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