Home

About Us

Thin Film Coating
Optical Monitors

Plasma Etch
Depth Monitor

Crystal Monitors & Controllers

Contacts

The NEW LEP400 Etch Depth Monitor

Product Selection & Downloads

Applications

Benefits

Operation

Operation

In its standard mode, the system consists of an optical head, containing a laser source, detector and CCD camera, and a rack mounting electronics module.
				The optical head is mounted on the top plate of a plasma etch system. The CCD camera enables the user to see the sample and the laser spot simultaneously, and an X-Y stage enables the user to move the laser spot to the desired location.
The electronics module contains the data acquisition systems and communications interface. The endpoint detector is controlled using proprietory EtchDirector© software running under a user friendly Windows® environment.
			EtchDirector© contains a powerful modelling feature which enables the signal variation to be predicted in advance of the etch in both interferometry and reflectometry modes. This is particularly useful for complex wafer stacks, which may contain several hundred layers, saving expensive and time consuming calibration runs. The software also contains an extensive library of material parameters and allows the user to enter new material parameters as needed.
EtchDirector© also contains a range of powerful endpoint detection algorithms enabling a user to tailor an end-point recipe to a specific process across a wide range of applications. The integrated I/O capability enables the endpoint to control the etch system if required.