AlphaStep® D-600 Stylus Profiler

We distribute this instrument in all South-East Europe countries except Italy

The Alpha-Step D-600 stylus profiler supports 2D and 3D surface measurements of step heights and roughness, plus 2D bow and stress. The stylus profiler’s innovative optical lever sensor technology offers high resolution measurements, large vertical range and low force measurement capability.

An advantage of the stylus measurement technique is that it is a direct measurement, independent of material properties. Adjustable force and choice of stylus enable accurate measurements of a wide variety of structures and materials. This stylus measurement option enables quantification of your process to determine the amount of material added or removed, plus any changes in structure by measuring roughness and stress.

Industries
  • Universities, research labs and institutes
  • Semiconductor and compound semiconductor
  • LED: Light emitting diodes
  • Solar
  • MEMS: Micro-electro-mechanical systems
  • Automotive
  • Medical devices
  • And more: Contact us with your requirements
Applications

Step Height

The Alpha-Step D-600 stylus profiler is capable of measuring 2D and 3D step heights from nanometers to 1200µm. This enables quantification of material deposited or removed from processes such as etch, sputter, SIMS, deposition, spin coatings, CMP and other processes. The Alpha-Step series has low force capability that enables measurement of soft materials, such as photoresist.

Texture: Roughness and Waviness

The Alpha-Step D-600 measures 2D and 3D texture, quantifying the sample’s roughness and waviness. Software filters separate the measurement into the roughness and waviness components and calculate parameters such as root mean square (RMS) roughness.

Form: Bow and Shape

The Alpha-Step D-600 can measure the 2D shape or bow of a surface. This includes measurement of wafer bow that can result from mismatch between layers during the device fabrication, such as the deposition of multiple layers for the production of semiconductor or compound semiconductor devices. The D-600 can also quantify the height and radius of curvature of structures, such as a lens.

Stress: 2D Thin Film Stress

The Alpha-Step D-600 is capable of measuring stress induced during the manufacture of devices with multiple process layers, such as semiconductor or compound semiconductor devices. The bow of the sample is accurately measured using a stress chuck to support the sample in a neutral position. The change in shape from a process such as film deposition is then used to calculate the stress by applying Stoney’s equation.

Options

The options for the Alpha-Step® D-600 Stylus Profiler are available to add on with your new product, or in the future. Contact us to learn more.

Stylus Options

The Alpha-Step D-600 has a variety of styli available to support the measurement of step heights, high aspect ratio steps, roughness, sample bow, and stress. The stylus tip radius ranges from 100nm to 50µm and determines the lateral resolution of the measurement. The included angle ranges from 20 to 100 degrees, which specifies the maximum aspect ratio of the measured feature. All styli are manufactured from diamond to reduce stylus wear and increase stylus lifetime.

Sample Chucks

The Alpha-Step D-600 has a range of chucks available to support application requirements. The standard chuck is a nickel-plated aluminum vacuum chuck for samples up to 200mm. A universal vacuum chuck is also offered and includes precision locating pins for samples from 50mm to 200mm. Both options support stress measurements with 3-point locators to hold the sample in a neutral position for accurate bow measurements.

Isolation Tables

The Alpha-Step D-600 has both tabletop and free-standing isolation table options. The Granite Isolator Series offers tabletop isolation systems that combine granite with high grade silicone gel to provide passive isolation. The Onyx Series tabletop isolation systems use pneumatic air isolators to provide passive isolation. The TMC 63-500 Series isolation table is a free-standing steel frame table that uses pneumatic air isolators to provide passive isolation.

Step Height Standards

The Alpha-Step D-600 uses thin and thick film NIST traceable step height standards offered by VLSI Standards. The standards feature an oxide step on a silicon die mounted on a quartz block. A step height range of 8nm to 250µm is available.

Apex Analysis Software

Apex analysis software enhances the standard data analysis capability of the D-600 with an extended suite of leveling, filtering, step height, roughness, and surface topography analysis techniques. Apex supports ISO roughness calculation methods, plus local standards such as ASME. Apex can also serve as a report writing platform with the capability to add text, annotations, and pass/fail criteria. Apex is offered in eleven languages.

Offline Analysis Software

The Alpha-Step D-600 offline software has the same data analysis capability that exists on the tool. This enables the user to analyze data without using valuable tool time.

Technical Features

  • Step Height: Nanometers to 1200µm
  • Low Force: 0.03 to 15mg
  • Video: 5MP high-resolution color camera
  • Keystone Correction: Removes distortion due to side view optics
  • Arc Correction: Removes error due to arc motion of the stylus
  • Compact Size: Small system footprint
  • Software: User friendly software interface