Company Profile: LayTec GmbH

LayTec is a major provider of in-situ optical metrology systems for thin-film processes. The tools are used in a broad range of thin-film applications such as compound semiconductors, photovoltaic, oxide and organic deposition. Advanced use of measurement techniques such as reflectometry, emissivity corrected pyrometry, laser deflectometry, reflectance anisotropy spectroscopy are uniquely combined to create our series of novel products. LayTec’s in-situ metrology provides access to all key thin-film parameters in real-time – either during the deposition process or in-line.

Founded in October 1999 as a spin-off of the Technical University Berlin, LayTec quickly became a market leader in compound semiconductor process monitoring instrumentation, especially for LED production. Its equipment is used in industry and R&D institutes world-wide for optimising material quality and obtaining run-to-run reproducibility in epitaxy-based opto-electronic and electronic applications. During MOVCD, MBE and other thin-film growth processes the systems measure all key growth properties with extreme precision already during the deposition process!

LayTec’s EpiCurve®TT system monitors simultaneously wafer curvature measurement, emissivity-corrected wafer temperature and high-accuracy reflectance measurement for growth rate analysis. It is designed for use in a wide variety of MOCVD and MBE systems, including AIX Planetary®, CCS® systems and diverse MBE systems. Solutions with two or more optical heads for temperature measurements are available as well.

Figure 1 (left): EpiCurve TT Two.

 

Pyro 400 is the next generation of pyrometry for GaN based LEDs working at the wavelength of 400 nm. The tool is the first real solution for measuring the exact surface temperature of GaN layers, which is essential for growth optimization and temperature control in LED and laser production. Unlike conventional infrared pyrometry, which can only detect the susceptor surface temperature below the sapphire or SiC wafers, Pyro 400 performs pyrometry at 400 nm. At this wavelength GaN emits light and Pyro 400 makes it possible to measure the temperature on the GaN surface. The system is specially designed for AIXTRON Planetry® MOCVD systems (Figure: 2 - right) and can be combined with EpiCurve®TT systems for simultaneous measurements of wafer bowing if the second view-port is provided.

Recently LayTec expanded its portfolio to amorphous and organic thin-film in-line processes monitoring (sputter deposition, VTE, OVPD). Furthermore, LayTec recognized the strong potential for its products among CIGS- and CdTe-based solar cell producers. After less than a year of concentrated engineering SolR ­– LayTec’s first in-line monitoring system for photovoltaic thin-film applications is available now. 

SolR is an in-line system that is capable of measuring optical properties, thickness and the texture/haze in-line for transparent conducting oxide (TCO), absorber and buffer layers throughout the complete solar cell manufacturing process. Itprovides a unique approach to monitoring thin-film PV processes that greatly improves traditional off-line and batch sampling methods. Figure 3 (left): SolR in a roll-to-roll deposition system.

The ability to control your deposition process in real-time offers high benefits: anomalies are quickly identified and corrected, development cycles are accelerated, transfer and ramp up of established processes to new lines are facilitated and conditions are easily re-established after maintenance. This all adds up to greater yields and reduced costs.

For more information please visit www.laytec.de or contact info@laytec.de