Specify particle wafer standards from the inspection objective backward.
Select calibration and contamination wafers by particle material, size, count, deposition pattern, wafer substrate, inspection platform and traceability requirement.
Calibration standards and contamination standards are not interchangeable
A calibration wafer is designed to establish or verify an inspection response. A contamination standard may be designed to challenge cleaning, handling, detection or process performance. The particle size, count distribution and deposition pattern must match the measurement question.
Build a complete specification
Substrate
Diameter, material, surface condition, notch or flat, film stack and allowable background.
Particles
PSL or silica, nominal sizes, size distribution, concentration, count and traceability.
Deposition
Full deposition, spots, patterned locations, target density and certificate format.
Connect the wafer to the inspection system
Surface-scanning inspection systems differ by optical architecture, sensitivity, wafer handling, supported diameters and calibration procedure. The instrument model and software method should be identified before the wafer is quoted.
Applied Physics manufacturing pathway
Applied Physics manufactures particle and contamination wafer standards and supports PSL and silica applications for semiconductor inspection and metrology. This site provides the technical framework; commercial specifications and quotations are completed through AppliedPhysicsUSA.com.
Practical answers
What information is required for a calibration wafer quote?
Inspection-system model, wafer diameter and substrate, particle material, nominal sizes, deposition pattern or count, certificate requirement, packaging and delivery schedule.
Is NIST traceability the same as NIST certification?
No. Traceability describes an unbroken documented chain of calibrations to stated references with associated uncertainty. It should not be described as blanket NIST certification.
Turn the inspection objective into a complete wafer-standard specification.
Applied Physics can review the inspection platform, wafer substrate, particle material, deposition pattern, traceability and certificate requirements.
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