Wafers and Coupons¶
You have a wafer, or a piece of one, and you need to pattern it, probe it, or cut it down. This page is organised by the next step, not by the machine.
What can be done, and with what¶
| Your question | Method | Instrument |
|---|---|---|
| How do I transfer a chrome mask into resist? | Photolithography | SUSS MJB4, up to 100 mm |
| How do I copy a stamp into resist? | Nanoimprint lithography | NIL Technology CNI v3.0 |
| Mask or stamp? | Photolithography vs nanoimprint | Both tools |
| How do I cut a coupon from a wafer? | Wafer scribing | PELCO FlexScribe 300, 5 mm to 300 mm |
| What are the I–V or RF numbers on pads? | On-wafer probing | MPI TS200, up to 200 mm |
| How thick is the film on this wafer? | Ellipsometry | J.A. Woollam RC2 |
| What does the patterned surface look like? | Digital microscopy or SEM | Keyence VHX-7000 / JEOL JSM-IT710HR |
| How do I get a TEM specimen from this wafer? | TEM sample preparation | Fischione 160, 200, 1051 |
Decide in this order¶
- Must the wafer stay whole? Probing, ellipsometry, and inspection can leave it intact. Scribing and TEM prep consume it.
- Is the next step a pattern or a measurement? Patterning is lithography or nanoimprint. Measurement is probing, ellipsometry, or microscopy.
- Do you already have a mask, a stamp, or neither? A chrome mask is the MJB4. A stamp is the CNI. A CAD file with no master is not either of those; board-scale patterns are laser micromachining or conductive ink.
- What is the diameter? The MJB4 takes 100 mm. The probe station takes 200 mm. The FlexScribe takes up to 300 mm.
A film already on the wafer is also a thin film question.
What to send¶
- Diameter, material, and whether the piece must be returned unaltered
- Whether a photomask or a stamp already exists
- Pad layout if the request is electrical
- The decision the measurement or process will inform
MPaCT Lab - Building 98E, South Engineering Lab, 561 E Pine Knoll Dr, Flagstaff, AZ 86001
Phone: 928-523-2343 · Email: mpct.nano@nau.edu