Thin-Film Metrology Manufacturing Company k-Space Associates, Inc. Announces New Product – kSA ICE

June 13, 2013 (PRLEAP.COM) Technology News
Thin-film metrology tool manufacturer k-Space Associates, Inc. announces a new in-situ metrology tool, kSA ICE. This system is the culmination of over 15 years of real-time process monitoring development and refinement by k-Space engineers.

The name kSA ICE stands for Integrated Control for Epitaxy and is specifically designed for Metalorganic Chemical Vapor Deposition (MOVCD) process monitoring. kSA ICE provides real-time temperature, reflectivity, film thickness, curvature/bow, and surface roughness measurement during MOCVD deposition, a critical step in the manufacturing of High Brightness LED's.

kSA ICE has multiple applications in High Brightness LED manufacturing, high power electronics manufacturing, and in materials research and development labs. It is the ideal metrology tool for most types of advanced materials used during MOCVD deposition.

Why kSA ICE is the coolest in-situ MOCVD metrology tool:

  • Multiple Simultaneous Real-Time Measurements – kSA ICE monitors wafer curvature, bow, film temperature, pocket temperature, growth rate, optical constants (n and k), total film thickness, and surface roughness during the entire deposition process.
  • Auto-Calibration – All measurements can be automatically calibrated in-situ with no system down time to ensure unmatched run-to-run repeatability and highest tool uptime.
  • Integrated Electronics and Optics – kSA ICE uses customized, integrated optics and control electronics for optimizing each signal for real-time, high S/N in-situ monitoring.
  • Dynamic Signal Intensity Control – Advanced software algorithms adjust the light source and detector integration times as the surface morphology changes during thin-film deposition.
  • Dynamic Platter Synchronization – kSA ICE synchronizes to the rotating platen by analyzing the reflected laser signal in real-time and internally generating the appropriate trigger signals for all devices. This alleviates the need for a hard trigger source, can synchronize to both symmetric and asymmetric platens, and solves the problem of "slipping" carriers that are not rigidly coupled to the rotation shaft.
  • Flexible, Upgradeable Optical Enclosure Options – kSA ICE's optics head can be oriented vertically or horizontally with modular designs to allow fitment on most commercial MOVCD reactors. This modular design offers an easy upgrade path to add additional or new kSA technology in the future.

  • "kSA ICE is a powerful culmination of over 15 years of dedicated in-situ metrology development and integrates existing, patented technology from three proven kSA products," says Eric Friedman, Sales and Marketing Director for k-Space. "We have worked closely with leading High Brightness LED manufactures and MOCVD tool manufactures to ensure kSA ICE is easy to integrate and provides the most valuable in-situ metrology information during the deposition process."

    kSA ICE can help you gain insight into your MOCVD process, maximize HBLED device performance, and limit variation in the manufacturing process – all of which will increase production efficiency and yield. Learn more about k-Space's solutions for thin-film deposition metrology and their new product, kSA ICE, at http://www.k-space.com.

    About k-Space Associates, Inc.
    Founded in 1992, k-Space Associates, Inc. is a leading supplier of advanced thin-film metrology tools to the thin-film deposition, surface science, and photovoltaic industries. k-Space specializes in real-time, in-situ, thin-film metrology tools for MBE, MOCVD, PVD, PLD, sputtering, and thermal evaporation processes. For more information about k-Space and their products, visit them at http://www.k-space.com.