| Project Detail |
Due to increased demand for semiconductor devices, low-power electronics, electric vehicles, sensors, IoT (Internet of things), new complex thin film materials are constantly engineered by sophisticated MBE (molecular beam epitaxy), PVD (physical vapour deposition) or ALD (atomic layer deposition). X-rays are well suited to assess the crystalline structure of new thin film materials due to the intrinsic properties of X-rays to probe material on the sub-nanometer scale. These crystal properties (film thickness, composition, strain, stress, interdiffusion and epitaxial relation) are then correlated to the electronic properties.
Sirius X-ray Solutions is an innovative German SME with the mission to develop and manufacture high-performance customised X-ray instrumentation for semiconductor and material characterisation applications.
After years of R&D, it has developed XRS SEMI, a compact (1m x 1m) advanced X-ray metrology instrument, which combines a newly developed X-ray optic, state-of-the-art detector, fast control software and fast, accurate data analysis software. XRS SEMI is used to assess the crystalline structure of new thin film materials due to the intrinsic properties of X-rays to probe material on the sub-nanometer scale. XRS SEMI has been sold and validated to prestigious research institutions and innovative SMEs such as the Fraunhofer Institute for Photonic Microsystems, the University of Leuven, Lumiphase AG and Soitec. The X-ray metrology instrument, developed by SIRIUS, can measure at least 10 times faster than the competition, with a selling price 2 times lower. It addresses the growing niche market (200mm wafers) within the semiconductor market of X-ray metrology for MEMS, photonics and sensors.
Within the WomenTechEU programme Sirius X-ray Solutions will finalise and integrate the software toolbox, based on machine learning and theoretical models simulation, into the Sirius XRS platform to optimise the softwares analytical performance. |
