Small Sample Cleaver

LatticeAx®

Meet the LatticeAx® Product Line – an accurate, fast, low-cost cleaving solution, suitable for any lab. The LatticeAx® is a precision cleaver that fits in the palm of your hand. In an amazingly small footprint (4" cube, 100 mm³), the patent-pending "Ax" and process are designed to assist the user to cleave site specific targets, as well as wafers, strips, or pieces to precisely sized samples with localized targets. One of the smallest, most efficient silicon wafer cleaving tools in the world, the LatticeAx® is sure to revolutionize your workflow.

The LatticeAx® features and process optimize the very basic elements of the manual cleaving technique and help overcome manual cleaving disadvantages, such as lack of accuracy and repeatability. This machine-assisted hybrid cleaving tool bridges the gap between manual scribing and fully automated cleaving. It increases success rate by any user while keeping costs down. It takes little training and users will be "cleaving in minutes and experts in a day."

LatticeAx® – New Way of Cleaving

LatticeAx is fundamentally different from manual cleaving because it:

1. Replaces human vision with a high-magnification digital microscope to precisely select the target
2. Replaces hand coordination with precision positioning knobs, resulting in a repeatable process that is not user-dependent
3. Produces an indent on the surface <1 mm in length, ~10µm in width at a very shallow depth
4. Employs a controlled "slow cleave" that follows the crystal plane, rather than a break along a scribed line

This machine-assisted hybrid cleaving tool bridges the gap between manual scribing and fully automated cleaving. It also increases success rate by any user while keeping costs down. Cleaving with the LatticeAx 225 and 420 products deliver 20 and 10µm targeting accuracy respectively. Cleaving is fast (<5 minutes), clean and repeatable.

While a manual scribe and cleave is fast (about 2 minutes), it is not repeatable or accurate. Accuracy can be improved when the manual scribe is made while viewing the sample with a stereoscope (50-100µm). In both cases, targeting accuracy and quality varies by user.

In the past decade, automated micro-cleaving tools improved targeting accuracy and sample quality needed for high resolution SEM imaging. These improvements came with strict pre-preparation requirements, lower throughput, inability to handle small and thin samples, and much higher cost than manual cleaving.

The LatticeAx features and process optimizes the very basic elements of the manual cleaving technique and overcomes manual cleaving disadvantages, such as lack of accuracy and repeatability.

• Precision mechanics integrated with high resolution optics and independently controlled sample and indenter stages
• LatticeAx indents. A shallow indent is made on the surface of the sample. No scribing
• Clean and accurate cleaves in <5 minutes. No dust, just a straight, long cleave with a mirror finish

Fast – 5 Minute Process

• Quick targeting with variable zoom
• Digitally displayed real-time imaging

Versatile – wide range of sample size, substrate type and top layers

• Si-GaAs-Sapphire
• Cu
• Resist
• Polyimide
• Passivation
• Films

Applications

• Site specific cross-section for SEM analysis
• Target localization prior to FIB or broad ion beam
• Downsize samples for SEM with height restriction
• Cleaving to create uniform samples for other analysis tools with non-wafer scale stages
• Vertical, mirror image cleaving for photonics analysis

Setup Requirements

• Flat, stable surface to support the LatticeAx at least 18" x 24" or 41 cm x 61 cm surface space
• Power for the vacuum pump (110V or 220V depending on local requirements)
• Computer running Windows 7 or XP with mouse, keyboard, monitor, video cable to the monitor

Options

• The Cleaving Station
• Cleaving Kit
• Marker-Scriber Kit
• Lattice Scriber
• CleanBreak Pliers

The Process

Using the LatticeAx, wafer cleaving is accomplished in three basic steps that compliment existing skill sets used in wafer analysis.

Small Sample Cleaver

Simple mechanics make the SSC an important addition to the cross section sample preparation workflow.

Using simple mechanics, the Small Sample Cleaver (SSC) uses a novel sample holder and a cleaving platform to safely cleave samples into chips as small as 2 x 2 mm. The novel sample holder allows samples from 4-10 mm to be held during indenting and cleaving. No more handling samples directly with fingers. Gloved hands are ok, the holder has no screws, springs or pins.

Features and Benefits

• Easy to use
• Indent small samples (4-10 mm) using a novel sample holder designed for use with the LatticeAx™
• Safely cleave samples as small as 4 mm by 3 mm accurately and repeatedly
• Repeatable cleaving of small samples without manual handling
• Can be operated securely with gloved hands; no more handling samples directly with fingers
• No more fumbling; no need for screws, springs or pins
• Sample hold-downs accept samples of various widths (3-15 mm)
• Sample cleaving pins easily transfer between the indent position on the LatticeAx and SSC cleaving position
• Two cleaving pins accommodate various sample types
• The small sample cleaver (SSC) base comes with 4 magnetic hold-downs
• Gauge sets the sample for a 0.5 mm indent (versus the standard 1 mm)
• A storage case secures all components

Specifications