Emissometer Overview Video ScreenshotNew Approach to Wafer Carrier and Wafer Susceptor Characterization

Do you need an automated, quantitative method for evaluating wafer carriers? The kSA Emissometer measures a wafer carrier’s diffuse reflectance, specular reflectance and emissivity as a function of position and provides complete wafer carrier maps and analysis. This data can help reduce costs and improve epitaxial material quality by detecting the presence and severity of the microcracks, qualifying wafer carriers and vendors, determining wafer carrier end-of-life, and more.

Click here to see the kSA Emissometer in action.


NuFlare Technology Installs kSA ICE Tools for MOCVD Reactors

ICE Multi SmallNuFlare Technology, a leading manufacturer of semiconductor equipment, installed multiple kSA ICE tools to measure real-time wafer temperature, curvature, and reflectance for NuFlare’s custom, multi-chamber MOCVD reactors focused on the growth of GaN on 200mm Si substrates.

Dr. Chuck Taylor, head of product development at k-Space, commented, “NuFlare worked side-by-side with us to help develop a kSA metrology tool tailored to the needs of this growing market. We believe that the modular capability of this custom kSA ICE tool is an ideal cost effective solution for a multi-module MOCVD system.”

Read the full article here.


Quantum Confinement Drives Real-time Stress Oscillations

QuantumConfinementGraphicResearch completed at the Max Plank Institute and the University of Stuttgart found that the real-time thin-film stress of ultra-thin epitaxial metals oscillated with film thickness. It was shown that the changing stress was caused by the changing quantum confinement of the free electrons in the layer. To measure the in situ, thin-film stress as the film was deposited, researchers used the kSA MOS, which measured the substrate curvature during film deposition. The substrate curvature was converted to thin-film stress once the film thickness was measured ex situ.

The authors concluded that, “The stress oscillations are induced by the quantum confinement of electrons in the thin epitaxial film,” and, “are consistent with predictions based on the free electron model and continuum elasticity.”

For more information, please see the complete publication in Physical Review Letters: “Quantum Confinement Drives Macroscopic Stress Oscillations at the Initial Stage of Thin Film Growth” David Flototto, Zumin Wang, Lars P.H. Jeurens, and Eric J. Mittemeijer, PRL 109, 045501 (2012).

For more information about the kSA MOS and thin-film stress measurements, click here.


Free Substrate Curvature Measurement With the kSA MOS UltraScan at the 43rd ICMCTF!

FreeSubstrateCurvatureGraphicAre you attending ICMCTF in San Diego? Want to see the kSA MOS UltraScan in action? The kSA MOS UltraScan, an ex situ stress, curvature, bow height, and tilt measurement tool, will be on exhibit and we will be testing both customer and demonstration samples live!

If you are interested in reserving a time slot to measure your sample or would like a personal demonstration, email requestinfo@k-space.com/ by April 12, 2016. Spots are limited, so don’t miss out!

Not attending the ICMCTF? The exhibition hall is open to the public, April 26 (12:00 PM – 7:00PM) and April 27 (10:00 AM – 2:00 PM). We would be happy to discuss the kSA MOS UltraScan or any other k-Space products with you at our booth.


Come Visit Us a These Upcoming Events!

UK MBE WorDarrylCarrieTradeShowking Party Meeting (UK MBE) – March 18, 2016 – Cambridge, UK

Japan Society of Applied Physics – 63rd Spring Meeting 2016 (JSAP 2016 Spring Meeting) – March 19 -22, 2016 – Tokyo, Japan

43rd International Conference on Metallurgical Coatings and Thin Films (43rd ICMCTF) – April 25-29, 2016 – San Diego, CA, USA

Society of Vacuum Coaters TechCon 2016 (2016 TechCon) – May 9-13, 2016 – Indianapolis, IN, USA

The Exposition for Semiconductor Manufacturing – Compound Semiconductor Week, The 43rd International Symposium on Compound Semiconductors, The 28th International Conference on Indium Phosphide and Related Materials (CSW2016/ISCS2016/IPRM2016) – June 26-30, 2016 – Toyama, Japan

18th International Conference on Metal Organic Vapor Phase Epitaxy (ICMOVPE XVIII) – July 10-15, 2016 – San Diego, CA, USA

For more events, visit k-space.com

Thin Film and Industrial Metrology Systems

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