Finnish metrology specialist launches a pre-patterned electrical test structure that enables electrical characterization immediately after film deposition.
Joensuu, Finland — March 17, 2026 — Chipmetrics today announced a new pre-patterned electrical test structure designed to dramatically simplify electrical characterization of thin films used in semiconductor process development and advanced materials research.
The structure enables immediate electrical measurements directly after film deposition, eliminating the lithography and etching steps traditionally required to fabricate electrical test structures.
Electrical characterization of thin films typically requires a sequence of additional processing steps following deposition, including photolithography, pattern transfer, and mask removal. These steps add time, complexity, and can limit compatibility with certain materials.
Chipmetrics’ new embedded silicon test structure introduces a lift-off style measurement approach that bypasses these requirements entirely.
Using the Chipmetrics structure, researchers can move directly from deposition to measurement in minutes.
Key advantages include:
- No photolithography or etching required
- Compatible with virtually any thin-film material
- Immediate electrical testing after deposition
- Customizable layouts for application-specific measurements
By removing multiple fabrication steps, the structure significantly reduces the time required to obtain electrical data during thin-film process development.
Demonstrated Measurement Capability
The electrical test structure has been validated through collaboration with TU Dresden, Professur für Nanoelektronik (Prof. Martin Knaut).
In initial experiments, the structure was used to measure electrical properties of an 8.7 nm PEALD TiN film deposited on 46 nm Al₂O₃ using a four-point probe measurement configuration.
These tests confirmed that the structure enables accurate measurement of sheet resistance and resistivity, demonstrating its suitability for advanced thin-film characterization.
Broad Electrical Characterization Capability
The test structure supports a wide range of electrical measurements, including:
- Sheet resistance and resistivity
- Contact resistance
- Hall coefficient measurements
- Temperature coefficient of resistance (TCR)
- Magnetoresistance
- Electromigration testing
- IV linearity and self-heating characterization
This versatility makes the structure valuable for both academic research environments and semiconductor process development laboratories.
Accelerating Materials and Process Development
As semiconductor devices continue to scale and new materials are introduced, rapid electrical feedback becomes increasingly important.
By eliminating post-deposition patterning steps, the Chipmetrics test structure allows researchers to evaluate the electrical performance of new materials and deposition processes faster than ever before.
About Chipmetrics
Chipmetrics Oy develops and delivers metrology solutions for manufacturing processes for the semiconductor industry, focusing on innovative metrology chips and ALD measurement services. Its main product is the PillarHall® metrology chip for near-instantaneous thin film process conformality measurement. Founded in 2019, its head office is in Joensuu, Finland, with employees and sales partners in Japan, South Korea, USA, and Germany.
For more information, visit www.chipmetrics.com.
Press contact:
Jonas Klar
Chipmetrics Oy
[email protected]
[email protected]
