The on-wafer characterization of multiple dies and subsites is a standard task in semiconductor industry. Often, many instruments have to be combined, such as parameter analyzers, SMUs, or network analyzers. To allow measurements of a device with different instruments, a switching matrix is used.
To deposit thin-films in vacuum chambers, material crucibles are heated up with temperature controllers and quartz crystal microbalances (QCMs) are used to monitor the rate. By using a PID controller, deposition rates are stabilized to allow for processing layers fully automatically. Background image © VACGEN Ltd
Standard key parameters like open-circuit voltage (Voc), short-circuit current (Isc), max. power point (Mpp), or fill factor (FF) can be retrieved by measuring current-voltage characteristics under standard illumination. Furthermore, the external quantum efficiency at different wavelengths is essential to understand the spectral activity of a solar cell.
The characterization of LEDs is strongly related to detecting the correct amount of emitted power into all possible directions. It requires either the use of an integrating sphere or the measurement of angle-dependent spectra.
Silicon Photonics is a technological field in which structures are processed on silicon wafers that can guide and process light. These chips are used for processing optical signals in many applications like high-speed data transmission, optical computing, and sensing technology. Background image © MPI corporation
New batteries, e.g. for electric cars, need to by tested by performing many charging and discharging cycles to prove long-term operation. It is of further interest to measure the behavior at different loads and different temperatures.
A typical task is the repetitive testing of a memory device by applying different voltages for 'write', 'read', and 'erase'. Furthermore, it needs to be tested how long each state of the memory can retain. The resulting retention time is a key parameter for non-volatile memories.
