Alpha Particle Counting
Alpha Particle Counting Customer Case A customer has to characterize a new design for a solid state alpha particle detector. The detector is essentially a silicon diode with a large area face. Because alpha particles, which are high-speed helium nuclei, are electrically charged, they interact strongly with matter and lose their energy quickly upon entering a solid. When an alpha particle decelerates within the depletion region of the diode, it creates electron-hole pairs. The carriers are collected by the diode's electrodes and create a measurable current pulse. The customer's experimental solid state detector has two implanted electrodes whose signals [...]
MTI’s Accumeasure HD Amplifier vs. Laser Interferometer
Achieving high resolution and accuracy for very small displacement measurements is generally an expensive and complex undertaking. The typical instrument of choice for achieving the accuracy required (picometer resolution with nanometer accuracy) is a laser interferometer. However, MTI Instruments Accumeasure D200HD Amplifier provides exceptional accuracy and stability while coming in at significant cost savings with ease of use. We decided to pit the AccumeasureHD vs a Laser Interferometer and compare results. Specifically, this comparison focuses on minimum expected resolution and the effects of noise on accuracy. Micro positioning applications include measuring the mask height of semiconductor wafers during lithography. [...]
Laser Spectroscopy
Laser Spectroscopy Customer Case An academic researcher is studying the attenuation properties of different materials inside Laser cavities for applications in Laser Spectroscopy. The Laser pulses are generated by one Laser, and are then transmitted by mirrors into another cavity filled with gaseous material. In the second cavity, the light pulses are continuously reflected by opposite mirrors and their intensities are measured by a transducer which converts them into decaying pulses of 30 nanosecond width. The decay takes about 40 microseconds to settle. The researcher is required to capture the decaying pulses and save the captured data onto the [...]
Laser Transient Absorption Spectroscopy
Laser Transient Absorption Spectroscopy Customer Case The customer's setup is a scientific application in which transient signals from a Laser Absorption Spectroscope are transferred to a computer. The laser power is modified in steps and the process is repeated. The measurement sensitivity is limited by noise generated by the current digitizer. The customer wants to capture and continuously average very small pulse responses. The lowest signal pulse height is 0.5 milliVolts and can range up to 2 mV. The duration of each response pulse is 1 to 10 microseconds. The Pulse Repetition Frequency (PRF) is 10 Hz. The customer's [...]
Wafer Backgrinding and Semiconductor Thickness Measurements
Wafer Backgrinding and Thickness Measurements in Semiconductor Manufacturing Wafer backgrinding, also known as wafer thinning or wafer lapping, is a critical step in semiconductor packaging. This process, which involves grinding the backside of a semiconductor wafer, reduces its thickness to enable the stacking of integrated circuits (ICs) and support high-density packaging. The thickness of the wafer plays a crucial role in determining the overall size of the package, an important factor as modern electronics such as smartphones, laptops, and other devices continue to get thinner and more compact. In applications like MEMS (Micro-Electro-Mechanical Systems), the backgrinding process also affects [...]
The Growing Need for Industry 4.0 Testing and Validation Tools
Industry 4.0 means that manufacturers need to test and validate more sensors. MTI Instruments 1510A portable signal generator can help. Industry 4.0 is spurring a dramatic increase in the number of sensors that manufacturers need to install, test, validate, and maintain. Although these industrial sensors are packaged to withstand harsh environments, they’re still susceptible to performance-related problems. Whether it’s to support predictive maintenance, asset monitoring, or process automation, proper testing and validation is required to keep systems running smoothly. Otherwise, the data that sensors collect won’t enable the operators of smart factories to make the right decisions.Smart factories can [...]
Silicon Carbide vs. Silicon in EV Power Electronics
Compare silicon carbide vs. silicon for electric vehicle (EV) power electronics and learn about SiC wafer measurement. As demand for electric vehicles (EVs) continues to grow, manufacturers are comparing two semiconductor technologies, silicon carbide and silicon, for power electronics applications. Silicon carbide (SiC) provides the high temperature resistance, low power consumption, rigidity, and support for smaller, thinner designs that EV power electronics need. Examples of SiC’s current applications include on-board DC/DC converters, off-board DC fast chargers, on-board battery chargers, EV powertrains, and automotive lighting for LEDs. According to Automotive World, SiC technology could also drive future EV innovations [...]
Laser Measurement & Characterization of Flat Panel Displays
Laser Measurement & Characterization of Flat Panel Displays Customer Case This customer's application involves the characterization of flat panel displays (used in laptop computers, computer game displays, etc.) via laser scanning. The laser is bounced off a number of mirrors and then through lenses, from which it is scattered. The scattered laser light must then be analyzed in order to determine the quality of the flat panel display. This laser measurement system is used not only by flat panel display industries, but also by disk drive manufacturers to analyze platter quality and, in the near future, for characterizing silicon [...]
Laser Signals Striking Silicon-Diode Target
Laser Signals Striking Silicon-Diode Target Customer Case The customer wants to capture the output of some silicon diodes looking at a laser target. The typical signal is anywhere from 20mv to 1V in amplitude and 0 to 15ns in length. There are up to 16 of these diodes that are looking at the same target. Each diode has a different filter so the post-trigger depth and amplitude-scale must be user-adjustable. Their main interest is to sample and digitize the signals for archiving, with later retrieval and plotting. Fancy software is not needed for display as the data is gathered [...]
Optical Scanning of Drive Media
Optical Scanning of Drive Media Customer Case The customer's application is optical scanning for drive testing. The goal is to identify burnt or damaged spots on the disk. The scanning system is generally used in Quality Control, Head-Disk Interaction and Failure Analysis. There is a need for continuous acquisition during the spiral scan. The speed of the disk is 10,000 RPM and the requirement is to capture 65,000 to 80,000 samples each revolution. A single channel is needed for the acquisition at 10 MegaSamples/second or greater. High vertical resolution will aid in measuring the properties and ultimately the degradation [...]


