k-Space Associates, Inc. is pleased to announce that it has received a Phase II Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) award from the Department of Energy (DOE). The purpose of this $1.2M award is to develop an “Advanced, High-Sensitivity, Multi-Species, In Situ Film Growth Monitor Utilizing Atomic Absorption Spectroscopy”. Phase I of the project was successfully completed by k-Space in November, 2015. Under Phase I, a prototype Atomic Absorption Spectroscopy (AAS) instrument was developed and tested on a sputter deposition system at Argonne National Laboratory. The instrument to be commercialized will provide real-time atomic flux measurements to enable high-accuracy film growth control during the deposition of a broad variety of thin-film materials.
Of particular interest for this award is the fabrication of advanced thin-film multi-layer structures for x-ray optics. These optics, typically fabricated via sputtering in a high pressure environment, play a critical role in the use of x-ray beams for research and development in a variety of fields such as life science and spintronics. They require numerous layers and typically have slow deposition rates, thus the fabrication of the entire film stack requires a long deposition time. As such, the deposition rate must be precisely controlled over these long time scales in order to produce high-quality devices. Commercial in situ growth monitoring techniques currently available have not been able to meet the technical requirements of this application.
k-Space has a successful history of bringing new products to market that not only address the need of one application, but lend themselves to broader applicability. k-Space’s development of a state-of-the-art Atomic Absorption Spectroscopy instrument is also in high demand for film growth monitoring in the laser, photovoltaic, OLED and LED industries.
“We are pleased to have this opportunity to bring to market an advanced instrument that will serve many segments of the thin film deposition community. The ability to accurately and simultaneously monitor multiple atomic specifies is a big advancement, especially for the compound semiconductor community which relies on precise control of these atomic fluxes to achieve the desired alloy compositions,” commented Principal Investigator, Dr. Barry Wissman.
“We are fortunate in this country to have a competitive funding source for new technology development in the SBIR program. This is our second Phase II award, and we are confident it will lead to a quality commercial metrology tool, as did our first Phase II effort,” commented k-Space Associates’ CEO Darryl Barlett.
About k-Space Associates, Inc.
k-Space Associates, Inc. (www.k-space.com/) is a leading metrology supplier of advanced instrumentation and software for the surface science and thin-film technology industries. Founded in 1992, its systems are used for monitoring wafer temperature, thin-film stress, deposition rate, thickness, material absorption properties, and Reflection High Energy Electron Diffraction (RHEED). Backed by a commitment to ongoing support, these solutions are currently used worldwide in research and production line monitoring of compound semiconductor-based electronic, optoelectronic, and photovoltaic devices. Extensive input and close collaboration with its worldwide customer base has led to the development of today’s most powerful thin film characterization products.
