Microelectronics & MEMS

In microelectronics and MEMS industry you need to observe, analyze, and identify the characteristics of your products. This is equally true in process control and failure analysis. The knowledge of your device’s physical structure is vital in understanding the process. Development of microelectronics and design of mechanical microsystems (MEMS) rely on efficient microscopes. Any number of functional features such as cracks, voids or connections can be investigated. In the creation of miniaturized mechanical devices, light microscopy serves as your tool for assessing prototypes and monitoring results of precision machining.

A number of quality control aspects in production you tackle particularly effectively with the help of 3D imaging techniques. A confocal scanning microscope enables you to test critical factors such as weld and solder points and carry out non-contact analysis, for example of substrates during the etching process. Your typical measurement parameters include roughness, dimensions and volumes.
While confocal microscopy is frequently used to determine the surface contours and profiles of micro-structured components and to quantify the height and depth of features (including those with high aspect ratios), it is also able to image structure information below the surface. You measure layer thicknesses either with a confocal microscope or – with the help of sample cross sections – using conventional light microscopy techniques.

The increasing integration of microelectronics into the nanometer area makes it necessary for you to examine these structures with scanning electron microscopes. SEM deliver resolutions in the nanometer range and large depth of field, resulting in brilliant images and precise circuit editing and analysis. Circuit editing with FIB-SEM even allows to fabricate complex structures.