Figure 1. Precision distance measurement in advanced manufacturing processes
Precision distance measurement in advanced manufacturing processes like the one shown in Figure 1 is a core element for product quality, productivity, and technological innovation. It is essential in modern industries that require high accuracy and efficiency, and plays a particularly important role in fields such as semiconductor chip fabrication and automobile assembly. In lithography processes that form fine circuit patterns on wafers used as substrates for integrated circuits, nanometer-scale precision is required. In these processes, precision distance measurement enables accurate positioning of each chip location on the wafer for precise patterning. This is a key factor for producing high-performance chips: it improves chip quality and yield, and thus ensures final product performance and reliability. On automotive assembly lines, robot arms perform various assembly tasks; high-precision distance measurement is used so robot arms can place parts in exactly the right positions. Accurate distances and placements for doors, engine components, and other parts ensure assembly accuracy and have decisive effects on final product quality and safety. In this way, precision distance measurement technology contributes to increased process efficiency and improved product quality.
Meterlab’s t-Nova series is based on spectral interferometry and can measure object distances instantly with nanometer-level precision, making it very well suited for the advanced manufacturing processes described above.
Figure 2. Precision distance measurement sensor implemented with a Michelson interferometer
Video 1. Precision distance measurement using t-Nova
As shown in Figure 2, we implemented a basic interferometer-type t-Nova for precision distance measurement and performed an experiment to measure the absolute distance to the left target. Using t-Nova, as demonstrated in Video 1, we confirmed real-time, high-speed distance measurements with nanometer resolution while moving the target from tens of micrometers to several millimeters.
With its outstanding speed and high precision, Meterlab’s t-Nova is capable of precise distance measurements. These characteristics make t-Nova suitable for various advanced manufacturing applications where efficient and accurate yield and quality control are required, and we expect it to be widely adopted in industrial settings.
