News Article
Rubicon orders multiple profilers for sapphire production
The cost-effective, precision optical profilers for micron-scale surface analysis, will be used in the precision manufacturing of sapphire substrates used for HBLED growth
Rubicon Technology has ordered multiple units of the Zeta 300 series optical profiler for its sapphire substrate and wafer production from San Jose based Zeta Instruments.
Rubicon's sapphire substrates and products to the LED, semiconductor, and optical industries, are claimed to be sensitive to the LED manufacturer’s costs of wafer failure late in the production cycle. The firm will use the Zeta-300 series optical profilers for inspection and metrology of sapphire substrates to help improve wafer yield and lower costs for their LED customers.
Zeta 300 optical profiler
Known for cost-effective advanced functionality, Zeta's novel high-precision metrology systems have gained strong traction across the LED industry. The latest in the innovative suite of optical profilers, the Zeta-300 series was specifically designed to address the stringent specifications of the Patterned Sapphire Substrate (PSS) market. It combines PSS metrology and defect review in a system that is unique in the sapphire industry, enabling detailed measurement of PSS structure dimensions as well as wafer defect inspection on the same system.
“We have evaluated many tools for the production environment and the Zeta 300™ series, delivers the best combination of speed and accuracy for precision metrology applications,” says Raja M. Parvez, president and CEO of Rubicon Technology. “Zeta's systems are integral to assuring our products meet and surpass our own internal quality specifications and those of our customers."
The Zeta-300 series leverages Zeta’s patented Z-Dot technology to deliver high repeatability and accuracy for the measurement of LED-patterned/etched substrates, photo-resist and stacked structures on transparent surfaces. Regarded as having one of the best optics and algorithm combinations, these profilers provide rapid and reliable data acquisition and analysis. In side-to-side comparisons with competitive offerings the Zeta-300 series is claimed to consistently deliver the highest repeatability and accuracy for PSS measurements in the LED industry.
Coupled with application-specific software and a companion automated wafer handler, the Zeta-380 provides imaging and measurement capabilities superior to those of laser confocal microscopes. The Zeta-380 measures and detects defects falling outside the industry certification levels that may not be detected by competing offerings. Zeta’s intuitive and innovative system design also offers a greater ease of use while lowering overall cost of ownership.
Rusmin Kudinar, president of Zeta Instruments, adds, "Having one of the world's largest and most esteemed PSS wafer suppliers select the Zeta-300 series as integral to its manufacturing process is powerful validation of our product strategy and development efforts. We look forward to an ongoing trusted partnership with Rubicon as they continuously pave the way advancing sapphire technology."
