SEM Magnification Specimen Options

The default magnification specimen fitted into our QCT standards

MAC MG15-T Silicon Test Specimen

The MAC MG15-T magnification specimen is a 4mm x 4mm Boron doped, ultra-flat Sili-con substrate with a 3mm x 3mm useable area.
Consisting of:
• 1μm pitch grid with additional grid pitch lines at 10μm and 100μm
• Additional calibration lines for 1μm, 5μm and 10μm below the main grid
• X and Y scale, major edge fiducial markers for grid positioning at 0.5mm intervals and minor at 0.1mm intervals
Intended for use with SEM, FESEM, FIB, AUGER, SIMS and reflected light microscopy, useful for checking image calibration and distortion in the 100x to 10,000 magnification range. Wafer level certification, traceable to a NIST standard.

Specification

Substrate:		525μm ±20μm thick Boron-doped ultra-flat silicon substrate with <100> orientation
Conductivity:		5-10 ohm-cm
Grid Pitch/Precision		1μm ± 0.025μm | 10μm ± 0.025μm | 100μm ± 0.25μm | Perpendicularity better than 0.01º
Line type/depth		342nm ± 15nm deep etched lines
Line Width	Grid	218nm ± 10nm for 1μm pitch | 342nm ± 15nm for 10μm pitch | 451nm ± 20nm for 100μm pitch
	Additional	2.5μm ± 5% for 10μm pitch | 1.25μm ± 5% for 5μm pitch | 250nm ± 5% for 1μm pitch
Identification		Etched specimen ID with unique serial number
Certification		Wafer level certification traceable to a NIST standard
Expiry date		None

 

The default magnification Specimen fitted into our QCT standards can be modified to any of the following options, please note however that alternate options selected may affect the overall price of the standard.

CDMS—Critical Dimension Measurement Specimen

The MCS series are a fully featured Critical Dimension Specimen for calibration over a wide measurement range in SEM, table top SEM, FIB, Auger, Sims and Reflected Light Microscopy
2.5mm to 1μm - This version has a magnification range of approximately 10x to 20,000x
2.5mm to 0.1μm - This version has a magnification range of approximately 10x to 200,000x

Available to order as:
Wafer Level Certification
MG06—2.5mm to 1μm NIST traceable and supplied with a global certificate of
calibration using the average data measured for each production wafer.
MG09—2.5mm to 0.1μm NIST traceable and supplied with a global certificate of
calibration using the average data measured for each production wafer.
Individual Level Certification
MG07—2.5mm to 1μm, NIST traceable and supplied with an individual certificate of calibration for higher accuracy.
MG10—2.5mm to 0.1μm, NIST traceable and supplied with an individual certificate of calibration for higher accuracy.

SEM Resolution Specimen Options

Gold on Carbon Resolution Specimens

RS02—Au/C Medium Resolution Specimen, 5-150nm
The default Resolution specimen fitted into our QCT-A, B, C and Cal standards

This specimen has a particle size range from approximately 5 - 150nm. Each specimen has a square grid pattern with large crystals in the centre of each grid square and very fine crystals at the edges of each grid (as illustrated).
Medium and high resolution point separation tests may be performed on the same specimen. In addition, the larger crystals show facets which allow an assessment of the grey level reproduction available at high resolution.

RS03—Au/C High Resolution Specimen, <3-50nm
The default Resolution specimen fitted into our QCT- B, C and Cal standards

This specimen is particularly suitable for assessing the image quality of high resolution SEMs, such as those fitted with a field emission electron source. A magnification of at least x80,000 is required to clearly resolve the gold particles. Particle sizes range from <3 - 50nm.

RS04—Au/C Ultra High Resolution Specimen, <2-30nm
Optional Resolutions Specimen

Ultra high resolution test specimen with a particle size range from approximately <2 - 30nm. For ultra high resolution performance testing, this specimen has a smaller gold island particle size compared to the RS02& RS03 specimens. They are suitable for testing at instrument magnifications of x50,000 and above. Particle size range from <2 - 30nm.

RS01—Au/C Low Voltage Resolution Specimen, <30-300nm
Optional Resolutions Specimen

Standard gold or tin on carbon resolution specimens may not be suitable for operating at low accelerating voltages or for use with older instruments. This may be due to inferior resolution at low voltage or poor signal-to-noise ratio when operating at high scanning rates with small spot sizes. The larger gold islands give high contrast while retaining small gaps for resolution measurement, making this specimen easier to use at non-optimal operating conditions.

Tin on Carbon Resolution Specimens

RS05—Sn/C Universal Resolution Specimen, 5-30μm
Optional Resolutions Specimen

This specimen provides a means of measuring resolution, astigmatism and image shift in scanning electron microscopes using a single specimen. The tin balls vary in size between 5 nm – 30 μm. This means that unlike some other test specimens, it can be imaged over a wide range of magnification, accelerating voltage and spot size. The relatively high atomic number of tin gives the spheres high contrast when compared to the carbon substrate. The ability to image the specimen at low magnification simplifies initial focussing at low accelerating voltages.

RS06—Sn/C Medium Resolution Specimen, 10-100nm
Optional Resolutions Specimen

An alternative test specimen for medium resolution evaluation and for the day-to-day visual checking of instrument performance is a tin on carbon specimen. This consists of a dispersion of tin spheres, within the size range 10 - 100nm, on a carbon substrate.
Ideal for astigmatism correction, it is also recommended for use in SEMs employed in the semiconductor industry, where the usual gold on carbon sample cannot be used because of the risk of gold poisoning.