How the science of measurement is adapting to challenges posed by advanced microchips

Written by
Wright B. Señeres
April 30, 2024

As computer chips grow smaller, denser and more sophisticated, measuring their nanoscale features and mapping those features to the complex behaviors they produce has grown increasingly difficult. But metrology – the science of measurement – is adapting to meet these challenges. 

Alex Norman, executive director of the Princeton Materials Institute, and Dalia Yablon, founder of measurement, consulting and training company SurfaceChar and technical program chair for the TechConnect World Innovation conference, describe the different ways metrology can help in the latest issue of Microscopy & Analysis

Infographic of how metrology is keeping up with advanced microchips

As smaller yet more powerful semiconductor components are stacked on a chip, metrology can help find defects buried within the stack, and voids that occur in the materials of the chips. More importantly, we want to detect features in the processing that would lead to such defects and voids. Infographic by Wright Seneres

Infographic of how metrology is keeping up with advanced microchips

For quality control, metrology can address high precision imaging of small features, microstructure of materials, microscopic contamination and hybrid bonding through a variety of imaging techniques such as optical profilometry, x-ray diffraction, micro-Raman spectroscopy, x-ray fluorescence and atomic force microscopy. Infographic by Wright Seneres

The Imaging and Analysis Center at PMI can perform many of the microscopy tasks in the above infographics. Paired with a fabrication facility like PMI’s Micro/Nanofabrication Center, such core facilities can provide quick yet robust quality control for complex semiconductor manufacturing. 

The importance of core facilities and metrology is increasing because of funding opportunities from the recently passed CHIPS in America Act. Norman and Yablon are co-chairs of a special symposium at the upcoming TechConnect conference in June on challenges and opportunities in CHIPS Act-funded research and development in the semiconductor industry. Norman is also chair for a session on metrology as part of this symposium.