Wire Bonding
Wire Bonding Semiconductor Wire Bonding Level Description Introduction What is Wire Bonding? Wire bonding is a critical semiconductor manufacturing process that creates electrical connections between integrated circuits (ICs) and their packaging substrates. This wire bonding technique uses ultra-thin bond wires, typically made of gold or aluminum, to establish reliable electrical pathways in microelectronics applications. Understanding Wire Bond Fundamentals A typical wire bond consists of bonded wire connecting a die pad to a substrate pad on a PC board. The bond wire diameter varies between 18 and 50 microns, with 25 microns [...]
GaAs Substrate Thickness Measurement
Semiconductor Gaas Substrate Thickness Measurement Thickness Description Measuring Thickness of Wafers with Different Chemistries Introduction:  Silicon wafers are ordinarily highly conductive and easy to measure with standard capacitive displacement sensors (See MTI's Proforma 300i). Measuring the thickness of GaAs wafers that have high bulk resistivity (>10k Ohm/cm) is a little more difficult because the wafers act as non-conductive insulators in a capacitive sensor's measuring field. Fortunately, MTI has a solution to this problem. Solution:  It’s possible to measure the thickness and TTV of high resistivity semiconducting wafers (like GaAs) using non-contact [...]
Photolithography Using Capacitance Sensors
Photolithography Using Capacitance Sensors Semiconductor Photolithography Using Capacitance Sensors Positioning Description When it comes to photolithography, how accurate are our sensors? Accurate enough to measure this: ​   Photo by D. Carr and H. Craighead, Cornell The world's smallest guitar is 10 micrometers long -- about the size of a single cell -- with six strings each about 50 nanometers, or 100 atoms, wide. Made by Cornell University researchers from crystalline silicon, it demonstrates a new technology for a new generation of electromechanical devices. Even the world’s smallest guitar’s 2 micron [...]
Hard Drive Position
Semiconductor Hard Drive Position Positioning Description
LED Substrate Thickness
LED Substrate Thickness Semiconductor Led Substrate Thickness Thickness Description Remember that old acronym, GIGO?  Garbage in garbage out, it can apply to raw materials as well as programming. Sapphire wafers need to be of a certain quality to ensure maximum yield. Excessive TTV, Bow, and Warp lead to premature LED failure. LED manufacturers need to inspect incoming wafers. Wafer producers also need to check and control TTV, Bow and Warp. The market for sapphire wafers, driven by the growth in LED manufacturing, is booming. While the price has come down [...]
Navy Orders Avionics Test and Measurement Systems
The U.S. Navy wants new avionics test and measurement systems. Under the terms of a $109-million award, the Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division in Lakehurst, New Jersey will buy 41 electronic consolidated automated support systems (eCASS) from Lockheed Martin. This test and measurement equipment helps soldiers and Marines troubleshoot and repair aviation electronics while at sea. Avionics, the electronics used in aircraft, support essential navigation and communications functions. With military aircraft, avionics typically include electro-optical, infrared, and other types of sensors for airborne radar, weapons systems, and heads-up displays. Military avionics also need to support electronic warfare systems, [...]
About Wafer Bow And Warp Measurement Systems
About Wafer Bow And Warp Measurement Systems Semiconductor/Solar Wafer Bow And Warp Metrology/Surface Thickness Measurement for Metrology Systems ASTM F657: The distance through a wafer between corresponding points on the front and back surface. Thickness is expressed in microns or mils (thousandths of an inch). Total Thickness Variation (TTV) ASTM F657: The difference between the maximum and minimum values of thickness encountered during a scan pattern or series of point measurements. TTV is expressed in microns or mils (thousandths of an inch). Figure above shows a wafer placed between two non-contact [...]





