Application Note: Wafer & Thin-Film Stress Characterization Using the Proforma 300iSA
Introduction Thin films are essential to modern semiconductor devices, but every deposited, grown, bonded, or processed layer can introduce mechanical stress into the wafer. When that stress becomes excessive or inconsistent, the effects can extend well beyond the deposition step—contributing to wafer bow, cracking, delamination, overlay error, handling problems, yield loss, and downstream process instability. The MTI Instruments Proforma™ 300iSA semi-automated metrology system provides the full-wafer thickness and shape data needed to evaluate these risks. By measuring wafer geometry before and after a process step, engineers can quantify curvature change and use established film-stress relationships to calculate and trend [...]
Understanding Semiconductor Wafer Stress: A Practical Guide to Thin-Film Stress, Wafer Curvature Measurement & Process Control
Introduction Every semiconductor device begins with a nearly perfect wafer. Yet throughout fabrication, that wafer is repeatedly transformed by dozens of manufacturing processes including thin-film deposition, oxidation, implantation, annealing, polishing, and packaging. While each process is designed to modify the electrical properties of the device, it also alters something far less visible—its mechanical condition. The addition of every thin film introduces internal mechanical forces that can subtly change the shape of the wafer. These changes, often measured in only a few micrometers across a 200 mm or 300 mm substrate, may appear insignificant. However, as semiconductor devices continue to [...]
Press Release: Vitrek Highlights Growing Importance of Wafer Stress Characterization for Advanced Semiconductor Manufacturing GalleryPress Release: Vitrek Highlights Growing Importance of Wafer Stress Characterization for Advanced Semiconductor Manufacturing
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Press Release: Vitrek Highlights Growing Importance of Wafer Stress Characterization for Advanced Semiconductor Manufacturing
Vitrek Highlights Growing Importance of Wafer Stress Characterization for Advanced Semiconductor Manufacturing MTI Instruments Proforma™ non-contact wafer metrology systems help manufacturers optimize thin-film processes, improve process control, and increase production yield. Lockport, IL — July 28, 2026— Vitrek, a leading manufacturer of precision test and measurement equipment, highlighted the growing importance of wafer stress measurement in semiconductor manufacturing as advanced packaging, heterogeneous integration, silicon carbide (SiC), gallium nitride (GaN), MEMS, and photonics applications continue to drive demand for tighter process control, improved manufacturing consistency, and higher device reliability. As semiconductor manufacturing processes become increasingly complex, engineers are [...]
Press Release: MTI’s Proforma 300iSA Combines SEMI and ASTM Standard Compliance in Space-Efficient Benchtop Design GalleryPress Release: MTI’s Proforma 300iSA Combines SEMI and ASTM Standard Compliance in Space-Efficient Benchtop Design
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Press Release: MTI’s Proforma 300iSA Combines SEMI and ASTM Standard Compliance in Space-Efficient Benchtop Design
MTI's Proforma 300iSA Combines SEMI and ASTM Standard Compliance in Space-Efficient Benchtop Design The Proforma 300iSA combines ASTM and SEMI standard measurements in a compact, desktop system for flexible semiconductor metrology. Lockport, IL, November 18, 2025 – Vitrek, a leading U.S. designer of precision measurement systems, has introduced the MTI Instruments Proforma 300iSA Semi-Automated Metrology System. The benchtop system delivers full SEMI and ASTM compliance in a compact footprint—offering laboratory-grade precision without the space demands of traditional floor-mounted equipment. “The Proforma 300iSA represents a fundamental shift in how manufacturers approach precision metrology,” said Todd Stukenberg, President at [...]
Precision Control in Semiconductor Wafer Lapping
Application Overview Wafer lapping is a critical semiconductor thinning process that demands tight control to avoid over-removal of material, which can lead to costly yield loss. This application note details how MTI Instruments’ Accumeasure™ capacitive sensing technology enabled precise, real-time displacement and thickness measurement during lapping operations, ensuring consistent wafer quality. Challenge During lapping, wafers are thinned from the backside using a rotating abrasive surface. As the process proceeds, precise feedback is essential to monitor how much material is removed and to determine the wafer's final thickness. Traditional mechanical methods or visual inspections are not sensitive or fast enough [...]
Video: MTI Products for the Semiconductor Industry GalleryVideo: MTI Products for the Semiconductor Industry
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MTI Instruments Whitepaper: Capacitance Guide for Industrial Applications GalleryMTI Instruments Whitepaper: Capacitance Guide for Industrial Applications
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MTI Instruments Whitepaper: Capacitance Guide for Industrial Applications
Capacitance Guide for Industrial Applications This guide from MTI Instruments explains what you need to know about using electrical capacitance for measurement in industrial applications, including advanced manufacturing. Basic Principles Capacitance is the ratio of the change in an electric charge to the corresponding change in its electrical potential (i.e., voltage). Capacitors, components that that have the “capacity” to store an electric charge, consist of conductive parallel plates that don’t touch or connect with each other. Instead, these metal plates are electrically-separated by air or a layer of insulating material (i.e., the dielectric). MTI’s [...]
Whitepaper: Why Capacitance? Benefits and Applications of Digital Capacitive Sensors GalleryWhitepaper: Why Capacitance? Benefits and Applications of Digital Capacitive Sensors
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Whitepaper: Why Capacitance? Benefits and Applications of Digital Capacitive Sensors
Industry applications illustrate the versatility and benefits of today's digital capacitive sensor technology. The electrical capacitance formed between a capacitance probe and target surface varies as a function of the distance, or gap, between those two surfaces.
Whitepaper: Semiconductor Wafer Measurement for Increased Productivity GalleryWhitepaper: Semiconductor Wafer Measurement for Increased Productivity
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Whitepaper: Semiconductor Wafer Measurement for Increased Productivity
Semiconductor Wafer Measurement for Increased Productivity This three-part article describes how manufacturers leverage capacitance-based inspection systems for semiconductor wafers. The article reviews best-practices, consequences of failing to inspect semiconductor wafers and benefits of using semi-automated, fully-automated and manual systems for wafer metrology and inspection. Part 1: Why Disc Geometry Matters in Wafer Production Semiconductor wafers are cut from cylindrical silicon crystals, or ingots. The flatness of these disc-shaped wafers is controlled to tight tolerances to ensure that the entire wafer surface is suitable for integrated circuit (IC) production. If disc geometry is out-of-spec [...]
The Cost of Failing to Inspect Semiconductor Wafers
This is the second of three articles in Semiconductor Wafer Measurement for Increased Profitability. The first article in this series explains why disc geometry matters. The third article describes the benefits of using semi-automated, fully-automated, and manual systems for wafer metrology and inspection. Most semiconductor wafers are made of silicon, the second most common element in the Earth’s crust. Yet, silicon’s abundance does not mean that wafers are inexpensive. The pure form of silicon that’s used in semiconductors does not occur naturally and must be refined and mixed with a dopant that alters material properties and electrical characteristics. Silicon ingots are formed, wafers [...]