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Equipment log for the Tencor Alpha-Step Profilometer
| 2009-7-2 | Calibration | The hard drive issue has been fixed and the tool is operational. |
| 2009-4-20 | Software | The monitor on the system failed and has been replaced. The tool is not booting properly. The problem is under investigation and an attempt will be made soon to solve it. |
| 2007-8-16 | The video cable has been swapped out and now works. The intensity is still
a bit low, but the bulb will be changed out tomorrow. |
| 2006-9-8 | A user reported that the tool was not working. We honed the z-axis,
tested the tool, and it is now working. |
| 2006-6-13 | Information | We have finally resolved the issue with the
scanning problem we have had over the
last week. The current problem we are
having now is related to the stylus force.
We are unable get consistent stylus force
measurements. We will continue to work
on this tomorrow. |
| 2006-6-12 | Information | We have had several problems with the
profilometer. The latest problem involves
the scanning mechanism. We have the
spare parts, but we are having trouble
aligning the system to scan properly. We
will continue to work on it tomorrow. |
| 2006-5-31 | Information | The profilometer has been logged down due
to an internal problem. One of the ribbon
cables has been severed. We will try to fix
the problem tomorrow and log it back up as
soon as possible. |
| 2006-5-30 | Information | A user reported a problem with the homing
sensor on the system. A mechanism inside
of the stepper needed to be repaired. |
| 2006-4-11 | Information | The profilometer has been moved to the
class 10 Photolithography bay. It can be
found on the right side of the bay as soon
as you enter. |
| 2006-3-2 | Information | Two problems with the profilometer have
been reported. There is a problem with the
light source in the system. There is a loose
connection inside the system. We may
need to log the system down to find the
loose wire.
The second problem has to do with the
measurement going "out of range." We ran
a stylus force calibration and reset the
system. This should resolve the problem.
If any users run into this problem after
today, please let us know. |
| 2006-3-10 | Information | We recommend that all current users get
training on the new P-15 Profilometer
located in the class 1000 PL bay. The new
system does a better job of measuring your
samples and has a few more option
available. |
| 2005-9-29 | Software | A user reported that the computer had
rebooted. Please contract staff if there are
any problems with the equipment. Please
do not try to fix the problem yourself. |
| 2005-7-20 | The stylus on the Alpha-Step profilometer
had its force adjusted to ensure that the
stylus remains in contact with the sample.
If you notice that the stylus is not remaining
in contact please notify Chris Holshouser. |
| 2005-6-22 | Reminder to all alpha-step users: you are not allowed to adjust either of
the knobs located inside the plastic shielding. If you are caught making
any self adjustments your access to this equipment will be removed. |
| 2005-6-1 | The Tencor Alpha-Stepper has been reinitialized and had its stylus force
adjusted. These corrections helped fixed the measuring problems that
were occuring. |
| 2005-5-30 | It seems that someone either reconfigured or reinitialized the stage
incorrectly on the Alpha-Step Profilometer. Staff is still in the
process of realigning and reconfiguring the stylus so that the system can
work as intended. |
| 2005-5-10 | Staff fixed a problem with the system's hard drive today. A system pci
card had not been connected properly, but the problem has been resolved
and the system is now fully operational. |
| 2005-1-5 | A user reported a problem with the camera on the profilometer. There was
a loose connection to the camera inside the system. If the image does
not appear again, please contact staff. |
| 2005-1-10 | The problem involving the intermitten state of the camera in the Tencor
Alpha Stepper has been resolved. We found a loose wire connecting the
camera to the computer; the rogue wire has been dealt with. If you still
continue to experience problems with the Alpha Stepper please contact
MiRC Staff. |
| 2000-3-24 | Stage | There seems to be a problem with the computer loosing track of the stage height and refusing to lift the stage high enough. We will be looking into this problem next week. |
| 2000-1-5 | Miscellaneous | A cleanroom user noticed that the diamond stylus tip was missing from the stylus and the Alpha-Step was not displaying good profiles. The stylus has been replaced and the profilometer is working well now. |
| 1999-7-6 | Stage | The stage on the Alpha-Stepper has been repaired. Do not force the stage up too far. Forcing the stage up too far causes the stylus to become misaligned. |
| 1999-7-27 | Miscellaneous | A user reported that the stylus force was too high. We lowered it. |
| 1999-7-2 | Stage | The platform on the Alpha Stepper needs to be repaired. The stepper will not go up or down consistently. It will be looked at on Tuesday. |
| 1999-7-12 | Software | A cleanroom user reported that the system kept requesting a file name after each measurement. The system software configuration has been changed to take care of this annoying problem. |
| 1999-4-30 | Miscellaneous | A cleanroom user reported that the stylus tip has material buildup on the end. We cleaned the stylus. |
| 1999-3-9 | Information | We measured film thicknesses of various samples. |
| 1999-3-12 | Information | We measured the thickness of various test samples. |
| 1999-2-8 | Information | We used the equipment to analyze various samples. |
| 1999-2-5 | Stage | We measured the thicknesses and indices of refraction of samples ran in the sputterers and those ran in the PECVD. Though the system is presently funtioning properly, we spoke with Mathew Neil, a technician from Tencor, concerning the reoccurring situation with the stage movement. He made a suggestion for a permanent solution. |
| 1999-2-4 | Calibration | We measured the standard, and the results demonstrated that the system is
functioning properly. |
| 1999-2-25 | Calibration | We calibrated the equipment and measured some test samples. |
| 1999-2-24 | Calibration | We calibrated the equipment and measured various samples. |
| 1999-2-23 | Information | We calibrated and measured various samples. Also, a user was trained on the
equipment. |
| 1999-2-19 | Information | We used the equipment to measure the samples ran in the E-Beam and obtained satisfactory results. |
| 1999-2-18 | Calibration | We measured various samples and calibrated the equipment. We also trained users on how to correctly measure samples with this machine. |
| 1999-2-15 | Calibration | We calibrated the equipment and measured various samples. |
| 1999-2-12 | Calibration | We calibrated and measured the equipment. |
| 1999-2-11 | Calibration | We performed calibration test on the Alpha-Step. |
| 1999-2-1 | Stage | The y-axis movement was functioning improperly. The problem has been
corrected. |
| 1999-1-7 | Stage | The Y-axis control had a new problem. It has been fixed. The Alpha Step is
now operable. |