Semiconductor Optical Inspection
Optical modules for wafer inspection, package defect detection, thin-film metrology, and inline process monitoring.
Step 1 — Define your goal
What are you trying to achieve?
Pick the experiment / project closest to yours. We'll route you to the right system architecture and BOM.
Step 2 — Confirm the problem
Common project challenges
If any of these sound familiar, you're in the right place. WaveQuanta engineers have seen — and solved — every one of them.
Illumination strategy: bright-field, dark-field, or both?
Each catches different defect types. Combination needed for general inspection.
Imaging magnification and NA
Smaller defects need higher NA, but limit FOV → throughput trade-off.
Filter and source matching
Source LED bandwidth × filter passband × camera sensitivity = real signal level.
Detecting weak defect signal
Low-contrast defects need shot-noise-limited detection and statistical processing.
Inline inspection throughput
Rastering + multi-channel + smart triggering for > 1 wafer / minute.
Modular / serviceable optical path
Field-replaceable filters and source modules for quick recipe changes.
Mechanical stage and integration
Sub-µm positioning over 300 mm wafer.
Calibration and reference standards
NIST-traceable standards for tool-to-tool consistency.
Step 3 — Understand the system
Typical system architecture
Most projects in this area follow a similar signal flow. Your specific architecture depends on resolution, throughput, and form-factor targets.
DUV / UV / visible source + uniformity optics matched to defect contrast.
Plan-apo objective with high NA + tube lens + intermediate optics.
DUV-grade or visible-grade objective — NA, working distance, chromatic correction.
Bandpass / longpass / dichroic — for spectral filtering and multi-channel separation.
Line-scan, area-scan sCMOS, or TDI camera — chosen for throughput.
Step 4 — Pick the modules
Recommended system modules
These are the building blocks. Each module is a category of products — pick the right brand and grade for your project stage below.
Illumination Module
DUV / UV / visible source + uniformity optics matched to defect contrast.
- DUV 266 nm for sub-100 nm features
- UV 355 nm + LED for general
- Low-coherence broadband
- Fiber-coupled distribution
Imaging Optics
Plan-apo objective with high NA + tube lens + intermediate optics.
- Plan-apo objective NA 0.7+
- Field-flattened tube lens
- Köhler-illumination relay
- DF / BF switchable
Objective Lens Selection
DUV-grade or visible-grade objective — NA, working distance, chromatic correction.
- DUV-corrected NA 0.95
- Visible plan-apo NA 0.55
- Long-WD for wafer access
- Matched tube lens
Filter & Wavelength Selection
Bandpass / longpass / dichroic — for spectral filtering and multi-channel separation.
- Narrow-band BPF (10 nm)
- Dichroic split for multi-channel
- Notch filter for ambient suppression
Inspection Camera
Line-scan, area-scan sCMOS, or TDI camera — chosen for throughput.
- Line-scan CCD/CMOS
- Area sCMOS for full FOV
- TDI for high-throughput
- GigE / CoaxPress interface
Spectroscopy / PL Module
PL imaging or hyperspectral inspection for III-V / SiC / GaN wafer characterization.
- Excitation laser (UV/blue)
- Grating spectrometer
- Line / area detector
- Lock-in for low signal
Stage & Mechanical Integration
XY motorized stage + Z auto-focus, with TM positioning to sub-µm.
- XY stage 300 mm × 300 mm
- Sub-µm encoder
- Fast Z auto-focus
- Vibration-damped mount
Synchronization Electronics
Trigger — TDI / strobed illumination / camera frame — for inline operation.
- TDI-camera trigger
- Strobed LED driver
- FPGA-based timing
Step 5 — Match your project stage
Choose your project stage
Same modules, three configurations sized for where your project is today. Move up the tiers as you progress from research to validation to OEM.
Research Starter
Method development
Bench-mounted inspection optical engine for defect classification studies and recipe development.
- Stock illumination (UV / visible LED)
- Plan-apo objective NA 0.55
- Manual XY stage
- sCMOS area camera
- Manual filter wheel
BOM tier: $50k – $150k
Engineering Validation
Tool prototype
Pre-production inspection optical engine. DUV illumination, line-scan TDI camera, motorized stage, calibrated.
- DUV 266 nm illumination engine
- DUV-corrected objective NA 0.95
- Line-scan TDI camera
- XYZ motorized stage
- NIST-traceable reference standards
- Full MTF / SNR characterization
BOM tier: $300k – $800k
OEM Production
Inspection-tool OEM · 24/7
Productized inspection optical module for an inline tool. Locked BOM, SECS/GEM, full quality docs.
- Sealed DUV illumination
- Factory pre-aligned imaging
- Line-scan TDI for high throughput
- Integrated SECS/GEM
- SEMI quality documentation
- Long-term supply contract
BOM tier: $800k+ · contract pricing
Step 6 — Run the numbers
Recommended calculators
Sanity-check your design before talking to an engineer.
Step 7 — Configure the system
Configure your setup with our engineering tools
Two ways to go from "this is what I want to do" to "this is the BOM I need".
Open Inspection Optical Engine VL
Configure illumination, imaging optics, camera, and stage. Validate resolution and throughput. Export a manufacturable BOM.
Launch Virtual LabAsk AI to spec my inspection module
Describe defect type, smallest feature size, throughput, and wafer size. AI proposes a complete inspection optical engine.
Open AI ConciergeStep 8 — Anchor SKUs
Featured products for this application
Common picks for this application area. Your final BOM will pull from a wider catalog and be sized to your project tier.
Princeton Instruments
Princeton sCMOS Camera
WaveQuanta
249–283 nm Deep-UV Inspection Laser
LBTek
Plan-Apo Objective NA 0.95
WaveQuanta
Bandpass Filter — Narrow
Princeton Instruments
PI-MTE3 X-ray CCD Camera (Inspection)
LBTek
Motorized XY Stage 300 mm
LBTek
Raman Spectroscopy Substrate RSS
LBTek
Calcium Fluoride Window — DUV/IR Reference
Step 9 — Common questions
Frequently asked questions
Quick answers to the questions our application engineers hear most often.
Bright-field vs dark-field — when?
Bright-field: high contrast for absorbing defects (residue, contamination). Dark-field: catches scattering defects (particles, scratches) against a clean background. Most full-coverage inspection tools use both modes simultaneously.
DUV illumination for what defect size?
266 nm DUV: 50–100 nm defect detection on patterned wafers. 193 nm: 30–50 nm. Below 30 nm requires extreme-UV (EUV, 13.5 nm) — a different game (KLA / ASML domain).
Line-scan vs area camera?
Line-scan TDI: highest throughput, but requires synchronized stage motion. Standard for 24/7 inline inspection. Area sCMOS: easier integration, fixed-point inspection. Used for atline or research.
Photoluminescence imaging — what for?
PL imaging detects sub-surface defects in III-V (GaAs, InP), SiC, and GaN wafers. Used for epitaxial-layer quality, dislocation mapping, and stacking-fault detection. UV / blue excitation, NIR / visible PL emission.
How fast can inspection run?
Inline TDI tools: 1 wafer / 30 s (300 mm) for general defects. Atline: 1–5 minutes per wafer. Research: minutes to tens of minutes for full coverage.
How do you handle MTF / aberration over the full wafer?
Field-flattened tube lens, motorized auto-focus per die, and per-position calibration tables. Engineering Validation tier ships with full MTF characterization at multiple field positions.
Long-term supply for inspection tool OEM?
WaveQuanta partners with semiconductor inspection-tool OEMs on multi-year programs — locked BOM, batch-consistency reports, SEMI documentation, and dedicated FAE support.
Can WaveQuanta provide the full inspection recipe?
For Engineering Validation tier and above, we provide reference defect samples and recipe templates. Final defect-classification recipe is co-developed with your process engineering team.
Step 10 — Engineering Review
Application Engineering Review
Tell us your application, current setup, and project context. A WaveQuanta application engineer will return initial recommendations within 1 business day.
- 1 Application
- 2 Current setup
- 3 Project & purchase