ECL - ITS THE PLACE TO BE
Evatec’s new laboratory is not only a showcase for our products but also a competence space. But what does “competence” mean? We understand “competence” as a combination of know-how, skills and capabilities. Evatec’s Competence Laboratory (ECL) will also be a place for know-how transfer, networking and teamwork. In this way the ECL team can better support customer samplings and process development at Evatec. ECL Manager Dominik Jaeger gives us a run down on the new facility.
ECL – The right thing for a growing company
A rapidly growing company like ours need a development facility that’s fit for the future. We are bringing equipment and people together in an environment that’s optimised for the best sample production, networking, information exchange and creative thinking. Move in to the laboratory will started at the end of 2018.
ECL – Measurement techniques and skills
Housed within the ECL in the clean room (minimum ISO 6) will be the Evatec Measurement Laboratory (EML) containing a broad variety of measurement instruments. Its central location will reduce transport distances and risk of additional particle generation on the substrate, allowing for more precise and elaborate analysis, and ultimately faster development of processes. The EML will be a centre for experts in metrology housing tools as simple as mechanical steppers through to high-end nanotechnology tools such as X-Ray Diffraction (XRD, D8 discovery, Bruker), Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM, NP20X, Park), Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM,Jeol) including Energy Dispersive X-ray Spectroscopy for element analysis. The AFM gives us information concerning surface topography with a resolution in the sub-nanometer range whilst XRD gives us insight into crystalline grains within a film, allowing determination of crystal structure, lattice distance, grain width, crystal quality and crystal orientation. Using X-Ray Reflectometry we are able to determine film thicknesses (from a few nm up to 150nm typically) and roughness, including the thickness of multilayer systems and their buried interface roughness. In addition we are able to measure instrument pole figures and reciprocal space maps for even more sophisticated analysis of our film structures. The EML will also provide technical and scientific support on any measurement tool enabling efficient sampling and R&D.
This is an extract from an article in LAYERS 4. Edition 2018/2019. To read the full article click here