News 09/2009

STIL will be represented by their distributor PHOTON LINES at the Vision Show Exhibition, the annual meeting for vision’s equipments and solutions that will take place in Paris-Nord Villepinte, from October 6 to 8, 2009.

You will discover on PHOTON LINES’s booth, the MPLS180, the first “line” chromatic confocal sensor in the world. The measurement line is made out of 180 independent measurement points, what ensures the perfect confocality of the system on each point. The MPLS180 is able to measure up to 1800 lines per second, that is to say a “point” measuring rate of 324 kHz. With such a high measurement speed, this equipment is naturally meant for systematic dimension controls on production lines. The MPLS180 also enjoys an advanced integration level with no less than 180 embedded spectrographs. An optional scanning mirror integrated into the optical head is an available option. This mirror allows to measure a complete field and to obtain true 3D high precision real-time measurement.

Of course, you could discuss with the team about the enhancements of our extended range of CCS and CHR High Resolution non-contact sensors, as well as our RUBY non-contact spectrocolorimeter, endowed with exclusive performances.

STIL S.A. and PHOTON LINES collaborate through a distributor agreement on French and British markets. Created in 2001, PHOTON LINES is a distribution and services company in optical instrumentation (non contact measurement, imaging…). The partnership between STIL, world leader for confocal chromatic sensors, and PHOTON LINES’s commercial network, will give users technological excellence and local support.

The flagship product of STIL’s CCS “point” sensors range, the CCS PRIMA, is from now on available in a 4 multiplexed channels version under the name of CCS Prima 4. This innovative technology allows the user to instantaneously commute from a measurement performed with one optical pen to another measurement, without any manual operation. The CCS Prima 4 can run up to four input pens, which allows the user to enjoy both a multiple measurement range and/or multipoint measurements on one sample with a single controller, thanks to a fast commutation.

Soon available, the sensor STIL TRIO will offer a third measurement technology enabling the colorimetric analysis. The combination of microspectrometry and microtopography will at last make “true color” 3D metrology available.

The serial measurement of several optical pens assembled in a fixed position on automatic or semi-automatic inspection machines. In this case, one single CCS PRIMA 4 can replace 4 ordinary CCS PRIMA sensors, allowing the customer to get an obvious financial benefit.

The simultaneous use of the extended range of STIL’s optical pens (distance, measurement range, lateral resolution…). Profilometer-type measurement stations can be totally automated with the help of a motorized tool changer that will require no handling, whatever the type of sample.

Please consult us for more details.

Inspection of semi-conductors with the new STIL-DUO :
A breakthrough in vias inspection.

The great commercial and scientific potential of Through-Silicon Via (TSV) is leading to a continuous increase of this novel technology development and thus is creating a need for non-contact characterization. As via diameter get smaller, their aspect ratio get higher, and as in the same time throughput requirements get more demanding, the number of known non-contact control techniques suitable for this task is greatly reduced.

In order to fulfil this in-situ control requirement, STIL SA proposes the new STIL-DUO sensor implementing a novel type of optical controlling principle, based on the well-known Spectroscopic Analysis of White Light Interferograms (SAWLI).

This new type of sensor allows to measure blind TSV depth with diameter as small as 3µm and with aspect ratio greater than 10:1. The experimental accuracies and repeatability are in the range of 10nm.

The originality of the STIL method lies in the position of the reference surface, leading to a significant reduction of the impact of vibrations on measurements. As a result the potential subnanometric accuracy of interferometric microscopy is effective.

As this non contact optical method requires no vertical scanning, it is fully compatible with integrated inspection systems. The point sensor configuration enables performing very high speed measurements as a single profile scan across the vias is sufficient to measure their depth. Moreover it leads to a very easy integration thanks to its small optical pen and to its optical fiber link to the opto electronic controller.

STIL has synthetized its experience in non contact measurement sensors to propose at a very attractive price this highly innovative product that is also integrating into the same controller the famous Confocal Chromatic technique. The user is then able to choose the most appropriate technique depending on the application and on the object configuration leading to outstanding measurement possibilities for many micro-optics and micro-electronics applications.

Inspection of photovoltaic cells : microtopography and goniophotometry of silicon cells.

Today’s craze for renewable energies is boosting several activity sectors, in particular the photovoltaic cells sector. The need for the optimization of the output leads to the selection of the best manufacturing techniques and materials.

The company STIL proposes innovative and high-performance solutions based on new optical principles. These solutions allow the manufacturers both to optimize the design stage – the sensors providing a better knowledge of the physical characteristics – and to improve the monitoring of the production process, thanks to an online control of characteristics that were previously unavailable, except in laboratories.

These abilities have been proved during several partnerships. In collaboration with the renewable energies department of the CSTB (Centre Scientifique et Technique du Bâtiment / Building Scientific and Technical Center), STIL’s sensors have measured different kinds of complete solar cells: monocrystalline, multicrystalline and amorphous silicon. Prior to that, the sensors had measured non metallic photovoltaic wafers, (with and without non-reflecting treatment) in partnership with the Jerusalem College of Technology.

A MICROMESURE station (profilometer) for the surface topography and the texture and rugosity analysis.

A REFLET bench (goniophotometer) for the backscattering and transmission measurement.

Complete solar cell :
- Macrotopography (1): Study of the microstructure of the monocrystalline or multicrystallline cells protection glass. This element acts like a diffuser, which is involved in the influence on the angle factor (IAM = incident angle modifier),
  
  Macrotopography (4mm x 4mm) on an ISET cell glass.
- Macrotopography (2): Study of the macrostructure of amorphous cells (a-Si), the multiple reflections on the textured surface allow an improvement of the output. The texture is also involved in the influence on the angle factor (IAM = Incident Angle Modifier),
  
  3D macrotopography (4mm x 4mm) and microtopography (100µm x 100µm) : thin layer type sollar cell (a-Si).
- Goniophotometry : Comparison of the IAM according to the technologies that are used. For example, there exist notable differences between monocrystalline cells and amorphous thin layer type cells.
Wafers dedicated to solar cells :
- Microtopography : Study of the microstructure (pyramid-shaped structure in the case of the measured samples) that is used to favour absorption and increase the output,
  
  Microtopography (50µm x 50µm) : monocrystalline type solar cell with microstructure.
- Goniophotometry (1) : Study of the influence of the microstructure upon the samples backscatterig, with and without non-reflecting coating,
  
  3D polar representation of the retrodiffusion lobes from a non-metallic wafer.
- Goniophotometry (2): Study of how the infrared radiations go through the wafers.

This study of the interaction between light and material allows the manufacturers to select the best materials and techniques for the manufacturing of solar panels.

The exceptional performances of STIL’s innovative sensors provide an optimum efficiency, in laboratories as well as on production lines.

Other news pages