Thin Film Thickness Control Across Industries

Photolithography

Photoresist

100 nm - 10 um

Controls lithography pattern accuracy and impacts chip yield

Insulation / Passivation

Dielectric films (SiO₂, Si₃N₄)

10 nm - 1 um

Gate oxide layer, interlayer dielectric; determines electrical performance of devices

Flexible Circuit Protection

Polyimide (PI) / UV coating

5 um - 50 um

FPC insulating protective layer; thickness affects flexibility and reliability

Interface Transport Layer

Buffer layers (NiOx, SnO₂, TiO₂, C60)

10 nm - 100 nm

Carrier transport efficiency; thickness deviation impacts device performance

Light Absorption Layer

Silicon thin films (a-Si, uc-Si)

100 nm - 3 um

Controls spectral absorption across wavelength bands

Functional Layer

Perovskite wet / semi-dry / dry films

10 nm - 1 um

Full-stack metrology for in-line monitoring and closed-loop feedback

Transparent Electrode

Transparent conductive oxides (FTO, ITO, IWO)

200 nm - 1 um

Affects transmittance and conductivity—key efficiency parameters

CdTe Solar Cells

Full stack: CdS window, CdTe absorber, back contact (e.g. ZnTe:Cu)

10 nm - 8 um

Full-stack thickness control impacts Voc and conversion efficiency; boosts process yield

CIGS Solar Cells

Full stack: Mo back contact, CIGS absorber, CdS buffer, ZnO:Al window

30 nm - 2.5 um

Full-stack metrology—each layer thickness is critical for absorption, carrier transport and efficiency; enables closed-loop line control

Anti-Reflection Treatment

Anti-reflection (AR) coating

100 nm - 300 nm

Quarter-wave thickness control for minimum reflectance

Polarizing Components

Polarizer / polarizing film

10 um - 50 um

Ensures polarization efficiency and image uniformity

OLED Evaporation

Organic emissive & functional layers

10 nm - 200 nm

Organic layer thickness directly affects brightness and lifetime

Biosensor Surface Functionalization

Functionalized Polymer Film

50 nm – 500 nm

Film thickness directly affects biomolecule binding efficiency and sensor sensitivity; real-time monitoring ensures batch-to-batch consistency of protein immobilization.

Controlled-Release Drug Coating

Biodegradable Polymer Drug-Loaded Film

1 μm – 50 μm

Thickness precisely governs drug release rate and duration; in-line metrology enables closed-loop control of coating uniformity for personalized therapeutics.

Tissue Engineering Scaffold

Hydrogel Thin Film

10 μm – 200 μm

Film thickness modulates cell infiltration depth and nutrient diffusion kinetics; non-destructive thickness measurement supports quality control of 3D culture scaffolds.

OLED Emissive Layer Deposition

Organic Emissive Material Film

20 nm – 80 nm

Thickness directly determines luminous efficiency, color coordinates and device lifetime; sub-nm precision control is critical for uniform display image quality.

TFT Active Layer (IGZO)

Amorphous Indium Gallium Zinc Oxide (a-IGZO) Film

30 nm – 100 nm

Thickness uniformity governs TFT switching characteristics and panel pixel-to-pixel consistency; in-line monitoring directly correlates with production yield.

Touch Sensor TCO Coating

Indium Tin Oxide (ITO) Film

20 nm – 150 nm

Thickness balances sheet resistance and optical transmittance; real-time metrology optimizes the trade-off between touch sensitivity and display brightness.

Lamination Adhesive

Adhesive / glue layer

5 um - 50 um

Measures adhesive between board/foil; affects seal strength and stiffness

Barrier Enhancement

Barrier coating (e.g. PVAC)

5 um - 30 um

Controls moisture/O₂ barrier; determines food shelf life

PCB Protection

Conformal coating

3 um - 70 um

Moisture-, mold- and salt-fog protection for harsh-environment reliability

Surface Hardening / Decoration

PVD/CVD functional films (e.g. DLC)

50 nm - 5 um

Wear layers for phone mid-frames/watch cases; thickness affects durability and appearance