Pieces, 75 mm (3 in), 100 mm (4 in), 150 mm (6 in), 200 mm (8 in) · 1990s–2000s
The NanoSpec 6100 is a microscope-based reflectometer for fast thickness checks of oxide, nitride and resist. We inspect, refurbish and recalibrate used units for 75–200 mm wafers.
Price on request
The Nanometrics NanoSpec 6100 is a reflectometer built around a microscope. You place the wafer, focus on a site and get a thickness reading in about a second. In teaching cleanrooms and pilot lines it is the tool next to the furnace and the PECVD: it checks gate oxide, field oxide, nitride and resist thickness after each run, and maps uniformity across the wafer.
Used NanoSpec 6100 units are common because many fabs replaced them with automated metrology cells. They remain a good fit wherever the films are known and the question is "how thick", not "what is this material". For unknown films, very thin layers or optical constants, an ellipsometer is the better tool; we explain the difference in ellipsometer or reflectometer. Nanometrics later merged with Rudolph Technologies to form Onto Innovation.
Typical work includes a new lamp, cleaning and alignment of the optical path, spectrometer calibration, stage lubrication and adjustment, and replacement of fans and worn cables. We rebuild the recipe library for your films and check each material file against a reference sample. The tool is then graded Certified, Refurbished, Inspected or As-is, and the report states which reference results were measured.
A UV source extends the useful range to thinner films. Extra objectives allow smaller spots for measurements in test structures and scribe lines. The upgrade most labs need is practical: a supported PC, network data export and a clean set of recipes. Lamps, objectives, stage parts and power supplies are the main spare parts, available through our spare parts service.
List the films you measure and their thickness range before choosing between a NanoSpec and an ellipsometer. If most of your work is oxide, nitride and resist on silicon, the NanoSpec is quick, simple for students and inexpensive to keep running. Check whether the unit has a manual or motorised stage, because mapping is what makes it useful for furnace and PECVD uniformity. Ask for the material file list, and plan a calibration on your own reference wafers after installation. See also the other tools in metrology and inspection equipment.
Typical values for the platform. Each tool’s inspection report lists its actual configuration.
Rebuild used tools to their original specification, with a written scope and a test report.
Learn moreRetrofit older tools with new controls, light sources, pumps, wafer sizes or endpoint detection.
Learn moreKeep older process tools running with planned maintenance, repair, calibration and parts.
Learn moreMoving a process tool from one cleanroom to another, and getting it running at the new site.
Learn moreNeed a spare part for the NanoSpec 6100? Send us the part number and we will check what we can supply.
Transparent and semi-transparent films on reflective substrates, such as thermal oxide, LPCVD and PECVD nitride, polysilicon on oxide and photoresist. Films on transparent substrates and strongly absorbing metals are outside what it measures well.
The NanoSpec fits thickness using fixed optical constants from its material files. If your film's refractive index differs from the file, for example a silicon-rich nitride, the thickness will be off until the material file is adjusted.
Nanometrics is now part of Onto Innovation, and support for older models is decided by them. We service the tool independently and source spare parts from our own channels.
A single site typically takes about a second, so a standard map of a few dozen points finishes in a minute or two including stage moves.
300 mm (12 in) with mapping stage · 2000s–2020s
Reflectometers measure routine films quickly and cheaply. Ellipsometers handle very thin films, unknown materials and stacks. How to choose for your lab.
Tell us the process, wafer size and facilities. We reply with availability, an inspection report and a refurbishment scope.