Alpha-Step® D-600 Stylus Profiler

Alpha-Step® D-600

The Alpha-Step® D-600 is the latest generation of the Alpha-Step stylus profiler. The 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. These features enable quantification of feature topography to determine the amount of material added or removed, and measurement of roughness and stress caused by changes in structure of the material.

The Alpha-Step D-600 configuration includes a motorized stage with a 200mm sample chuck and advanced optics with enhanced video controls. The Alpha-Step combines time-tested technical capability with the smallest system footprint for a benchtop stylus profiler. Designed for universities, research labs and institutes, the Alpha-Step provides step height, roughness, and stress metrology for semiconductor and compound semiconductor devices, LEDs, solar, MEMS, automotive and medical devices.

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

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: 2D and 3D step height

Texture: 2D and 3D roughness and waviness

Form: 2D bow and shape

Stress: 2D thin film stress

■探针选项

Alphastep-d-600提供多种探针用于测量台阶高度、台阶高宽比、粗糙度、样品翘曲度和应力。探针针尖的半径从100纳米到50微米不等，这决定了测量的横向分辨率。探针角度从20到100度不等，这决定了所测量特征的最大高宽比。所有探针都采用金刚石制造，以减少磨损并增加其使用寿命。

■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

Alphastep-d-600使用VLSI提供的NIST可追踪的薄膜和厚膜台阶高度标准片。该标准片的特征图案是在石英台上制造了一个氧化物台阶，或是覆盖了铬涂层的蚀刻石英台阶。可提供8纳米至250微米的台阶高度。

■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.

■ Step Height

The Alpha-Step D-600 has a variety of styli available. Stylus measurements include 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.

■Texture: Roughness and Waviness

The Alpha-Step D-600 supports 2D and 3D stylus measurements of 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 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.。

KLA_AppNote_Stylus_SIMS_Crater.pdf