+44 (0)24 7671 8970
More publications     •     Advertise with us     •     Contact us
*/
News Article

Nanometre components require sub-nanometre precision

News

Semiconductors are an integral part in most electronic devices, and the racehorse in the charge towards greater computing power. Without these tiny components, we would not have been able to enjoy our smartphones and hyper-realistic video games. Semiconductors have evolved tremendously since they were first developed; as more and more computing power is sought after, the silicon chips shrink in size and, today, the smallest wafers are just 2 nm – a fraction of the width of a strand of DNA. Smaller chips means that the distance the electrons need to travel is decreased, allowing much faster processing. Unfortunately, it makes both the manufacturing and validation processes extremely difficult.

Time is money
Since semiconductors are necessary in virtually all types of technology, they are constantly in high demand, and it is important that the manufacturing process is efficient. A single chip can take a month to manufacture and, depending on the design, the process can consist of 1,000 to 2,000 steps. It is common to check the device for faults between processing steps, since moving to the end phase of the manufacture would be a waste of time and money if the semiconductor has a defect.

Challenges at every step
Scanning semiconductors for flaws requires extremely accurate motion control. As precision cannot come at the cost of speed, the system must be able to move from point A to point B as quickly as possible. Ideally, the motion will start instantaneously after the command has been given, and come to a full stop as soon as the exact position has been reached. In addition, when used in dynamic processes, for example when measurements are performed during movement, the inspection head needs to be triggered at exactly the right spot. However, in practice, there will always be some latency – a delay before the inspection head is activated, and some settling time before the motion of the stage stops completely. There will also be some positioning inaccuracy, especially during acceleration. This latter issue can be affected by many factors, such as flaws in position feedback system or drive mechanism, or guidance errors in the bearings. Another common issue is vibrations caused by the movement of the stage. These interferences will disturb the system and, if the vibrations occur at one of the natural frequencies of the appliance, they will be amplified. One way to fix this issue is to make the system as stable and robust as possible, but these disturbances are hard to remove completely during fast movements.

Innovative motion control powered by smart software
ACS Motion Control is a global supplier of motion control systems, including controllers, motor drives, specialised IOs and various smart software tools. The company was founded in Israel in 1985, and has since spread all over the world – with offices in the USA, Germany, China and Korea – and joined the Physik Instrumente (PI) group in 2017. ACS’s products are used in a range of applications that require high precision motion control, from optical-, ultrasonic- and e-beam inspection to X-ray, dimension metrology and maskless lithography.

Software that can learn
ACS’s high performance motion solutions are powered by intelligent software that helps the hardware to perform at its best. Its patented NanoPWM technology uses both PWM- and linear power amplifiers, allowing the stage to move at high speed and settle in nanometre-sized windows. The MotionBoost algorithm creates motion profiles aimed at minimising vibration and settling times, by reducing the energy supplied to the stage through friction or moving parts. The effects of disturbances are further reduced by the ServoBoost software, which works in real time to identify and compensate for perturbations caused by cogging, load changing and cross-axis interactions. This ensures faster settling, lower jitter and decreased dynamic error compared to standard PID-based algorithms. The newest addition to the ACS portfolio is LearningBoost, a state-of-the-art control algorithm that can not only sense and cancel out disturbances, but also predict them, by learning the way the system performs and which movements usually cause perturbations. Coupling LearningBoost with the other software packages from ACS will enable previously unachievable throughput and accuracy, making a huge difference for applications such as semiconductor production that rely on high-precision motion control.

PI in brief
PI (Physik Instrumente), headquartered in Karlsruhe, is the market and technology leader for high precision positioning technology and piezo applications in the semiconductor industry, life sciences, photonics, and in industrial automation. In close cooperation with customers from all over the world and for 50 years now, PI's specialists (approx. 1,300) have, again and again, been pushing the boundaries of what is technically possible and developing customized solutions from scratch. More than 350 granted and pending patents underline the company's claim to its leadership. PI has six production sites and 15 sales and service offices in Europe, North America, and Asia.

PIC International to return to Brussels – bigger and better than ever!


The leading global integrated photonics conference and exhibition will once again bring together key players from across the value chain for two-days of strategic technical sessions, dynamic talks and unrivalled networking opportunities.


Join us face-to-face on 18-19 April 2023

  • View the agenda.
  • 3 for the price of 1. Register your place and gain complementary access to TWO FURTHER industry leading conferences: CS International and Power Electronics International.
  • Email info@picinternational.net  or call +44 (0)24 7671 8970 for more details.

Register

Picocom and Antevia collaborate on 5G in-building solutions
Fast, narrow-linewidth tunable laser is a first
Luceda Photonics and Spark Photonics announce partnership
Imec demonstrates co-integration of high-quality SiN waveguide technology with silicon photonics platform
Toptica acquires Azurlight Systems
CEA-Leti Will Highlight Progress on Key Augmented Reality Building Blocks
Trumpf Venture invests in quantum startup
Trumpf to show latest lasers at Photonics West 2023
OpenLight appoints Adam Carter as CEO
Dutch consortium invests €3.5M in LioniX
POET releases optical engines for 100G, 200G and 400G
Thorlabs to acquire JML Optical
Vector appoints factory applications engineer
Trumpf expands VCSEL portfolio
Needle-free blood glucose monitoring
Vector Photonics appoints Peter Linton to drive PCSEL design
Closing the 'terahertz gap'
LioniX International Secures €3.5M Investment
Novel laser can transmit 200Gbps over 10km
III-V Lab counts on Riber MBE
US centre to tackle processor energy efficiency
High-performance Visible-light Lasers that Fit on a Fingertip
ANELLO Photonics Announce Silicon Photonics Optical Gyroscope
FBH presents latest light sources at Photonics West 2023
NIST and AIM team up on photonics chips
OpenLight unveils 800G DR8 PIC design to advance datacenter Interconnect industry
Characterisation of VCSELs, µLEDs and AR/VR displays
Vector Photonics fast-tracks PCSEL commercialisation
Changing the color of quantum light on an integrated chip
Jenoptik receives Thuringia Innovation Award 2022 for opto-electronic UFO Probe®Card
Silicon photonics is driven by data center applications
Scantinel lands €10M for next gen LiDAR

×
Search the news archive

To close this popup you can press escape or click the close icon.
Logo
×
Logo
×
Register - Step 1

You may choose to subscribe to the PIC Magazine, the PIC Newsletter, or both. You may also request additional information if required, before submitting your application.


Please subscribe me to:

 

You chose the industry type of "Other"

Please enter the industry that you work in:
Please enter the industry that you work in: