Date: 15/07/2012

Rudolph ships new equipment to measure metal film thickness in LCD panels

Rudolph Technologies said it has sold the first of its new MetaPULSE FP thin film metrology systems used to measure the critical thickness of metal layers deposited during the manufacturing process of flat panel displays such LCD panels.

“The MetaPULSE FP system is a unique solution that allows for measurement of critical metal film thicknesses on actual product structures without contacting or destroying the device,” said Dr. Avishai Kepten, vice president and general manager of Rudolph’s Metrology Business Unit. “The first tool is being qualified on an R&D line, and we believe the capability will be indispensable as our customer ramps to high-volume production.”

Rudolph’s director of metrology product management, Tim Kryman, said, “For many years MetaPULSE technology has been the ideal solution for measuring the thickness and other properties of thin metal films in semiconductor manufacturing applications. The new FP system combines a MetaPULSE measurement head with customized glass substrate handling to extend this critical measurement capability to the much larger substrates used to make flat panels. This MetaPULSE FP tool was delivered and installed in the second quarter and is being used for measurements on 4.5 generation substrates (790mm by 930mm), which are used to make displays for e-readers, tablets, phones and other mobile devices. We are also in discussions with manufacturers of much larger panels used for television displays.”

Rudolph explains today, most large FPD manufacturers use an active matrix technology that involves fabricating the thin-film transistors (TFT) in either amorphous or polycrystalline silicon applied to the rear of the glass, which is very similar to those used during semiconductor manufacturing. A typical TFT process includes the deposition of a series of gate metals such as Cr, Ta, Al, Mo, Ta, as well as deposition of Ti and/or Al source and data lines. Application studies for traditional and advanced FPD manufacturing processes have proven that PULSE is the only technology that can provide non-contact, non-destructive measurements of these metals, individually or in a multi-layered film stack, with gauge capability, as per Rudolph.

“Ongoing development activity is focused on repackaging the PULSE measurement head with larger substrate handling to accommodate the full range of FPD sizes currently in production. Our goal is to provide this critical metal metrology for all generations of FPD manufacturing,” added Kepten.