Veeco’s Dektak 150 surface profiler offers 10nm thin film resolution

Product Briefing Outline: Veeco Instruments recently
launched the Dektak 150 Surface Profiler, which is designed to monitor
thin films of advanced PVs as well as critical surface roughness, key
for optimal absorption of photons. The standard Dektak 150 utilizes a
newly designed 4 x 4-inch X-Y stage with manual theta. It can be
configured with a 4-inch Y auto stage that enables 3D imaging, or
equipped with a 6-inch X-Y auto stage that, in addition to 3D mapping,
provides automation and programmability of over 200 sample sites. With
the scan-stitching package, the system can perform even longer scans
for stress measurements on larger wafers. Other stage features include
wafer alignment pins for ease of use, three-point suspension for
stress, lateral calibration for 99.9% accuracy, and a larger scan block
for improved baseline stability, according to the company.

Problem: There is a growing need to be able to monitor
thin films of advanced PVs as well as critical surface roughness, which
is a key for optimal absorption of photons, and improving overall
efficiency. Improved precision, while offering a wide application use,
is required to provide cost effective analysis.

Solution:
With 6-angstrom step-height repeatability, the Dektak 150 profiler
provides the flexibility to perform precise step-height measurements
for thin films down to less than 100 angstroms, as well as thick-film
measurements up to several hundred microns thick. The Low-Inertia
Sensor 3 (LIS 3) head is claimed to deliver extremely accurate
measurements with unprecedented sensitivity. The 512-micron vertical
range is claimed to be the best standard Z performance in the industry,
and a 1-millimeter option extends the vertical range of these systems
even further. Improved horizontal and vertical resolution enables
precise planarity scans for measuring radius of curvature, flatness,
and waviness, as well as characterizing thin-film stress on wafers.

Applications: Thin films

Platform:
The Dektak 150 incorporates a cast-aluminum frame and several vibration
and noise reduction features to provide the lowest possible noise floor
for measuring extremely thin films, according to the company. In
addition, the Dektak 150 is able to measure thin film stress with
longer scan lengths up to 55 millimeters and a larger vertical range up
to 1 millimeter. The thin film stress measurement software
automatically calculates compressive or tensile stress. Plus, the
Dektak 150 offers 3D imaging capabilities to map a user-defined surface
area to perform in-depth analysis of surface defects and area roughness
with Veeco’s ‘Vision’ 3D analysis software.

Availability: Summer 2007 onwards.