Olympus introduces see-through silicon microscope

The microscope has specifically been designed to aid production of devices that use semiconductors and aims to satisfy the worldwide need for thinner and smaller electronics devices.

Observation during research or quality control becomes almost impossible, with many components and even circuits packed into a tight space.

With the OLS3000IR LEXT IR confocal laser scanning microscope, Olympus brings to the table a piece of technology that allows the laboratory scientist a way of observing the interior of silicon wafers, IC chips, MEMS and other devices, in ultra-fine subsurface resolution.

This is achieved by incorporating an infrared laser to clarify features that cannot be seen visually.

The IR laser allows for silicon device inspection, such as SIP (System in Package), 3D mounting, and CSP (Chip Scale Package).

The LEXT OLS3100IR is designed to take on a multitude of tasks that include flip chip mounting defect analysis.

In flip chip bonding, once mounted the pattern cannot be inspected using visible light.

However, the silicon chip is transparent to infrared light and the interior can be observed without destroying the mounted chip.

Defect analysis is easily performed by placing the device under the microscope.

The microscope is also chip gap measurement-enabled, recording the movement of the objective when infrared light is passed through the silicon then focused on the chip and interposer.

This method can also be used in the measurement of key features in micro-electromechanial systems (MEMS).

The microscope's primary advantage as a laser scanning confocal model is the ability to serially produce thin (0.5 to 1.5 micrometer) optical sections through fluorescent specimens that have a thickness ranging up to 50 micrometers or more.

The technology encased within the microscope's chassis means contrast and definition are improved over widefield techniques due to the reduction in background fluorescence and improved signal-to-noise.

Furthermore, optical sectioning eliminates artifacts that occur during physical sectioning and fluorescent staining of tissue specimens for traditional forms of microscopy.

Disadvantages of confocal microscopy are limited primarily to the limited number of excitation wavelengths available with common lasers which occur over very narrow bands and are expensive to produce in the ultraviolet region Another downside is the high cost of purchasing and operating multi-user confocal microscope systems, which can range up to an order of magnitude higher than comparable widefield microscopes, which places them out of reach of smaller laboratories.