Ultra Tec, Santa Ana, Calif., adds an in situ Interferometer, ASAP-1 IPS, to its IPS selected Area Preparation tool, enabling it to measure through-silicon thickness, in addition to the coordinate measurement systems already on board. This combination enables the sample to remain mounted throughout processing and measurement, thereby avoiding any potential registration errors caused during transfer between the prep tool and the microscope.
The upgrade also includes a native 4K ultra-high-resolution camera for improved digital targeting during cavity definition.
Since product launch, ASAP-1 hardware has become the standard piece of preparation equipment that engineers involved in failure analysis have come to rely on for backside preparation. Ultra Tec has produced leading solutions for backside preparation since 1999. With over 400 ASAP-1 units installed in semiconductor industry labs throughout the world, we are proud to introduce the ASAP-1 IPS.
The ASAP-1 analog systems offer elegant, intuitive controls that have enabled all labs to achieve quality results for subsequent analysis with Photon emission microscopes, laser/ thermal stimulus microscopes, and FIB’s. The user-friendly intuitive nature of the analog units has been carried forward and expanded with ASAP-1 IPS.
ASAP-1 IPS offers deep sub-micron control on X, Y, and Z axes, making it the most accurate system ever seen in the market. It enhances the market-leading attributes of our legacy products with the latest digital technology. It is now possible to grind substrates thinner, polish flatter, and de-process even more accurately.
The instrument introduces a suite of features that automate many aspects of the process – from analyzing the part to be processed, to writing intuitive programmable recipes, to reading in-situ end-stop indicators that ensure each important sample is prepared correctly. The patented ‘float down’ polishing head design is retained, and it is enhanced with the use of force feedback.
A touchscreen interface, a physical joystick and encoders — alongside a suite of intuitive software and hardware features — empowers the FA technician and engineering professional for the next generation of failure analysis.
