Abstract:

Atometrics white light interferometer (accuracy 0.03nm) & ultra-depth of field digital microscope high-precision detection solution, helps to increase the yield of glass substrates to 90%, accelerating the high-end process of the industry.

Fast-growing glass substrate industry

In 2025, the scale of China's glass substrate market is expected to exceed RMB 37.1 billion, a year-on-year increase of 5.4%. This growth is mainly driven by the demand for 3C consumer electronics such as smartphones and tablets. More importantly, the semiconductor packaging field is becoming a new growth pole - the global glass substrate packaging market is expected to reach US$11.3 billion in 2031, with an annual compound growth rate of more than 12%. This data reflects that glass substrates are extending from the traditional display field to the high value-added track, and its strategic value has been recognized by the industry.

Technological breakthrough - TGV process

Among the core technology breakthroughs of glass substrates, TGV (Through Glass Via) technology is a milestone. This technology forms micron-level through holes through femtosecond laser-induced wet etching, and then achieves vertical interconnection by electroplating copper/gold. Its key advantages are:

1. Ultra-low signal loss: The dielectric constant (Dk) of the glass substrate is less than 4.0, which is more than 30% lower than that of traditional organic substrates, significantly improving the transmission efficiency of 5G/6G high-frequency signals;

2. Thermodynamic adaptability: The thermal expansion coefficient (CTE) of glass and silicon chips matches 98%, which can eliminate the package warping caused by thermal stress of large-size AI chips (such as HBM memory);

3. Three-dimensional integration potential: Supports micro-hole processing below 50μm, provides a physical carrier for 2.5D/3D heterogeneous integration, and meets the transistor density breakthrough requirements of computing chips.

At present, this technology has been applied to the advanced packaging solutions of NVIDIA H100 GPU and Apple M series processors, and the single-chip integration density has increased by 40%.

Inspection requirements

To support the industrialization of glass substrates, precision testing systems have become a key link in the implementation of technology. Manufacturers need to measure product surface morphology, roughness in holes, line height and line width, and observe defects in through holes and foreign matter analysis.

The Atometrics testing solution can provide a quantitative basis for TGV process optimization, help companies build a closed-loop quality control system, and increase product yield from 60% in the early stage to more than 90%.

Atometrics Inspection Solution

1. The Atometrics white light interferometers AM series are used for in-hole roughness measurement, TGV test piece morphology deformation analysis, line width and line height measurement, substrate surface morphology measurement, etc., solving the problems of insufficient accuracy, low measurement efficiency, and inability to image highly transparent samples of traditional equipment.

Atometrics AM7000 Series

Main advantages:

1. Ultra-high precision: equipped with a closed-loop feedback piezoelectric ceramic material scanner (PZT), Z-axis resolution, the highest accuracy can reach 0.03nm;

2. Ultra-high restoration: equipped with a 2.3 million/5 million pixel scientific research-level camera, it can restore the sub-nanometer level product surface morphology to the extreme;

3. Ultra-fast speed: the unique and first-of-its-kind SST/GAT algorithm enables the device to scan at a maximum speed of 400um/s;

4. Core R&D strength of software and hardware, with standard/non-standard solutions for large panels.

RDL test piece surface morphology measurement

TGV test piece surface morphology measurement

Substrate test piece surface morphology measurement

2. The Atometrics Super large-depth-of-field microscope AH series is used for laser drilling analysis, electroplating observation, circuit observation and measurement. It solves the problems of small working distance, cumbersome focusing, inability to achieve side observation, and unclear high magnification in traditional metallographic and stereo microscope observation.

Atometrics AH series digital microscope

Main advantages:

1. High pixel: 12 million effective pixels for ultra-high-definition observation;

2. Multi-angle observation: 90° on each side and 270° rotation of the platform to achieve all-round multi-angle observation;

3. Telecentric lens to ensure measurement consistency at all magnifications;

4. Deep synthesis can be performed at each magnification under 12 million pixels to achieve high-definition observation at each magnification;

5. Split-screen observation: real-time comparative analysis and automatic report output;

6. Ultra-high working distance, no collision with samples during tilted observation.

TGV through-hole inner wall observation

Substrate surface morphology analysis

TGV foreign body analysis

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