Thin Film Characterizations Applied in Semiconductor Industries

Advances in thin film deposition technologies and material development has enabled a wide range of industrial applications. Examples of this are very evident in the semiconductor/microelectronics, display, energy, and many others industries. Decreasing film thicknesses and material/manufacturing complexities pose increasing challenges for industrial engineers and process control in the evaluation of mechanical properties. Control of these ultra-thin films are extremely essential and present a challenge in measuring mechanical properties with highly precise force, displacement, and positioning control.

This has created a need for process grade metrology instrumentation with significantly enhanced precision in measuring a wide range of mechanical properties. Hardness, modulus, interfacial adhesion, fracture toughness, and temperature are just some of the mechanical property measurements that become significantly more difficult in such thin films.