Nano-Electro-Mechanical-Systems Probe for Thin Film Materials Characterization

The ability to quickly test materials during new technology development would provide actionable insight that would significantly reduce materials and device design iterations and accelerate time-to-market by up to three months. However, conventional characterization and test methods are increasingly ineffective when applied to structures less than 100 nanometers, causing challenges across R&D, process control, and failure analysis. An increasing number of subtle defects in thin film materials become prominent drivers of failure as device size and operating margins decrease. Thus, there is urgent demand for tools and techniques to non-destructively characterize thin film materials and semiconductor devices. Xallent will develop an innovative hybrid metrology system to use for imaging and electrical characterization of thin film materials and semiconductor devices.