METROLOGY ON

MICRO-MACHINING
BY
JAYPAL TANK(14BME177)
DEEPAK WADHWANI(14BME180)

NEED OF THIS
METROLOGY
Today,

as the need towards constant

miniaturization is increasing,
metrology of micro machined
components also becomes critical
Quality control techniques are also
needed to be accelerated at the
same rate to cope up with the
market demand.

Techniques
Scanning Electron Microscopy
II. Optical microscopy
III. Scanning White Light Interferometry
IV. Confocal Laser Scanning Microscopy
V. Fringe Projection Microscopy
VI. Scanning Probe Microscopy
VII. Computed Tomography
VIII.Digital Volumetric Imaging
IX. Molecular Measuring Machine
X. Micro Coordinate Measuring Machines(CMM)
XI. Micro fabricated Scanning Grating Interferometry
XII. Autofocusing Probing
XIII.Scanning Laser Doppler Vibrometry
XIV.Digital Holographic Microscope Systems
I.

Scanning Electron Microscopy(SEM)

It

is one of the primary tools for

analysis of MEMS devices.
SEMs operate by scanning a focused
beam of high energy electrons
across a conductive sample
contained in vacuum.
As the electron beam hits the
conductive surface, secondary
electrons are knocked loose. These
secondary electrons are counted and

Scanning Electron
Microscopy(SEM)
The

accuracy of the images captured

is highly dependent on machine
capability and the specific part being
machined.
Additionally, despite the high
resolutions of the SEM, the output is
typically generated from electron
detector and displayed on a screen.
The final result is a two-dimensional
image on screen.

Difficulties
Limited

to Conductive materials.
Since no coordinate data are directly outputted
from SEM, performing any analysis other than line
width measurements directly with the SEM
software becomes difficult. Thus, SEMs are ideal for
visualizing MEMS parts, but are inadequate tools
for quantitative analysis of MEMS devices.
An edge appears as an intensity change in the
image. Depending on the image analysis technique
used, the location of image can vary greatly.
The vacuum requirement also makes operation of
SEM difficult.

X-SEM(ALTERNATIVE)
This

process is destructive and requires

the sample to be cross-sectioned. The
cross-section is then imaged in an SEM.
Often this technique is used to determine
sidewall and height characteristics.
Lagerquist Bither et al. 1996 , discuss
use of the X-SEM process to characterize
top-down SEM images, which requires
interpretation of intensity and are
sensitive to sidewall geometry.

OPTICAL MICROSCOPY
The

operating principles for optical

microscopes
include
spatial
resolution
and
detected
edge
sharpness
determined
by
a
combination of hardware(e.g. Lens
type, CCD(Charged- couple display)
camera) and lighting conditions(e.g.
Coaxial lighting, ring lighting).

OPTICAL MICROSCOPY
Optical

microscope
have
the
advantage of being fast and nondestructive
The limiting factor is its inability to
produce images with clear intensity
changes and to acquire 3D Data.
Some of optical microscopes are
integrated with software that uses
image processing techniques to
determine Z-height at which the

OPTICAL MICROSCOPY
Petitgrand

and
Bosseboeuf(Petitgrand
and
Bosseboeuf 2004) showed that an
optical microscope can be combined
with a phase shifting stroboscopic
interferometer
to
obtain
subnanometre
resolution
three
dimensional dynamic measurements.

Scanning White Light

Interferometry

Scanning White Light Interferometry

It is initially developed for surface

characterization, such as finding surface
roughness. SWLI is currently being used to
make dimensional measurements of micro
machined parts.(O. Mahony, Hill et al. 2003).
They have sub-nanometre resolution in the
scanning direction, at best sub-micrometre
resolution in the lateral directions, and can
be used on multitude of parts with different
surface finishes(de Groot and Deck 1994)

Scanning White Light

Interferometry

An Interferometer works on the principle of

interference .Within the objective , a light beam is split
with one beam going to the object surface and the
other to the reference surface. These light waves
bounce back and interfere with each other, forming the
pattern of light and dark bands called FRINGES.
A Piezoelectric Crystal is used to create small
movements in the objective perpendicular to the
surface of interest. As the reference surface within the
objective moves, the result of combination of reflected
light varies. Several images are captured and then
combined. Based on the interference pattern, or fringes
and the wavelength of light employed, it is possible to
extract coordinate data(Clair, Mirza et al. 2000)

Scanning White Light

Interferometry

SWLI has the ability to quickly measure step height

changes and deflections. Additionally, when integrated with
an image processing system, SWLI can provide lateral
dimensions
The largest slope that can be measured is typically around
30 degrees with 100x objectives(Zyg0, 2003)As the
objective power decreases, the identifiable slope also
decreases.
It is heavily used in the MEMS industry to determine
surface roughness, structural support analysis, deflection
curve verification and material property analysis of parts(O.
Mahony, Hill et al 2003)
Shilling(Shilling 2003) also uses SWLI to analyze mesoscale
devices with relative success. SWLI produces good results
except at edges which tended to be rounded

Confocal Laser Scanning Microscopy

CLSM combines a confocal microscope with a scanning

system in order to gather a 3-dimensional data set. A
CLSM has 4 basic elements: point illumination, a
confocal lens system, and a method of scanning the
image.
CLSM is different from conventional microscopy in that
it creates an image point by point. Also because of the
double pinhole lens system, when the sample is
moved out of the focal plane of the objective, the light
intensity at the detector decreases rapidly, in effect
allowing the system to focus on the single plane. With
a scanning system added, the system has the ability to
scan multiple times on different imaging planes
,resulting in 3-dimensional data set.

Confocal Laser Scanning

Microscopy

Confocal Laser Scanning

Microscopy

Dimensional measurements are in the range of

microns with nanometre accuracy
One of the most important advantages found is the
ability of microscope to measure steep slopes, up to
almost 90 degrees on a part with minimal surface
roughness.
This measurement requires a high-resolution, highnumerical aperture objective, which has a limited
lateral measuring field unsuitable for measuring the
entire object.
Because of this limitation, a stitching procedure is
needed to combine scans taken with several
objectives(Sung, et al.,2004;Ulmann, et al.,2003).

Scanning Probe Microscopy

The two most widely used SPMs are Scanning

Tunnelling Microscope(STM) and Atomic Force
Microscope(AFM).
STM uses a metallic probe that is brought into close
proximity of a conductive surfaces so that a small
current flows between the probe and surface. The
current is held constant by the feedback control
scheme, allowing the probe to track the height of the
surface (Marchman and Dunham 1998).
Sub-angstrom resolution is attainable in the normal
direction of the surface, and angstrom-scale
resolution is attainable in the lateral direction of the
surface.

Scanning Probe
Microscopy

Scanning Probe
Microscopy
AFMs

is the newer SPM technology and retains the

resolution of STMs. But it is not limited to conductive
surfaces(Binnig, Quate et al. 1986).The measurements of
an AFM are performed with a sharp probe that collects a
series of line scans across the surface of a part. The
topography of the part is measured by bringing the probe
close to the specimen and measuring the repulsive and
attractive forces on the probe tip.
It is capable of working in both a contact and non-contact
mode to collect surface data. In non-contact mode, Van
der Waals forces between the probe tip and specimen are
measured and converted to coordinate data.
No tip erosion but this method has lower resolution and is
less stable than either the sliding or tapping modes.

LIMITATIONS
Cannot

measure High aspect ratio

parts.
Limited to conductive parts(STM).
Vibrations in the probing mechanism
also limit gap-width stability which in
turn can affect the fidelity of the
measurements.
Cannot measure high slope.
Cannot measure large area, limited
scan range of tools.

COMPUTED
TOMOGRAPHY

CT is a radiographic technique that provides

a method for locating and sizing planer and
volumetric detail in three dimensions.
Computed tomography inspection consists of
measuring a complete set of line-integrals
involving the physical parameter of interest
over the designated cross-section and then
using some type of algorithm to recover an
estimate of the spatial variation of the
parameter over the desired slice(ASTM).

COMPUTED
TOMOGRAPHY

COMPUTED
TOMOGRAPHY

CT provides non-destructive characterization

of internal structures of mesoscale devices.
It can be used to inspect metallic or nonmetallic, solid or fibrous, smooth or irregular
surfaced specimens. The results can be used
for
quality
control,
flaw
detection,
dimensional measurement, and reverse
engineering(Simon 2001).
Additionally complete scans are quite time
consuming and require a significant amount
of data processing(Shilling 2006).

DIGITAL VOLUMETRIC
IMAGING
DVI

was developed by Resolution Sciences, Inc.

The first step in DVI is to embed the sample into
appropriate solid. This solid block is then
mounted into machine , and material is
removed until the sample is reached.
The sample is taken to imaging section and
then the process of imaging and slicing the
sample is repeated until the entire block has
been imagined.
The set of 2- dimensional images is then
converted into a 3-dimensional image set.

DIGITAL VOLUMETRIC
IMAGING
High

resolution
Interior defects can be located and
analyzed
Destructive technique
Selection of proper emdedding
material,additives to promote
surface adhesion, sample
orientation,sample location within
the block and the embedding
techniques are all critical in it

Micro Coordinate Measuring

Machines(CMM)

Same as Traditional CMM but the range is different.

Various approaches has been taken down to the
scaling down of the components of Traditional
CMM. One of the main issues yet to be addressed is
the size, quality and calibration of the probe tip
used for inspection. The smallest size probes to
date are on the order of 0.1mm(Schellekens,
Haitjema et al. 2001).
ShapeGrabber,
Incs
(Shapegrabber
2008)commercial three dimensional CMM uses
laser scanners with multiple microscopes.
This CMM has micrometer level resolution and
18000+ points per second data acquisition rate.

Molecular Measuring Machine(M3)

M3 is in development in at NIST. The goal of this

machine is to achieve nanometer accuracy of 2D
point-to- point measurements.
The system operates in the vacuum and combines
the STM with two michelson interferometers.
The STM probe the surface while the interferometer
measures the probe movement in X-axis and Y-axis.
The machine also incorporates careful temperature
and vibration control.
As the STM is its foundation, It is limited to
conductive materials only.
In future, it is accommodated with AFM tip to allow
for measurement of non-conductive materials.

Autofocusing Probe

The autofocusing probe combines a 6-axis micropositioning stage with an autofocusing laser probe
commonly found in CD and DVD players to create a
non-contact measurements system.
It works on the principle that when laser light is
projected
through
specific
optics(beam
splitter,quarter-waveplate,
and
objective)
and
reflected, it will take on different shapes depending
on whether the light is focused on the sample
surface.
The sample surface can be focussed by actuating the
objective lens through the use of a voice coil until the
focused shape is achieved.

Autofocusing Probe

Autofocusing Probe
It

is limited to flat reflective surfaces,

therefore cannot work in case of
chamfers and fillets.
It is also limited to focus on flat
surfaces only.

Scanning Laser Doppler

Vibrometry

It
is
non-contact
vibration
measurement
technique. LDV is designed to measure the
dynamics motions of components.
It typically includes two beam interferometric
device that detect the phase difference between
an internal reference and the measurement
beam. A scanned laser spot measures the
dynamic profile of surface under observation
Lawrence et al. used LDV to measure the
dynamics vibrations of a 2- axis micrometer
MEMS (Lawrence, Speller et al. 2003).

Conclusion
The ability to quantify the 3 dimensional
characteristics of MEMS is quite limited.
Tool that exist high resolution, but are
limited in range. Other tools have
sufficient range but resolution is lacking.
The dynamics of micromachined parts
are limited by the range and bandwidth.
The current solution is to quantifying
mesoscale MEMS parts is to use
combination of tools.

REFERENCES

INTRODUCTION TO MICROMACHINING by V.K

JAIN.
Shilling K.M.(2003).Two dimensional analysis
of mesoscale parts, GIT.
O
Mahony,C.,
M.
Hill
et
al.
(2003)Characterization
of
micromechanicalstructures using SWLI.
Lawrence,EM.,K.E.Speller, et al(2003).MEMS
characterization using using laser doppler
VibrometryProceedings of SPIE 4980:51