CEA-Leti and Menapic have announced a joint-development program to apply colored picosecond acoustics to materials analysis.

French startup Menapic’s colored picosecond acoustics (APiC) technology characterizes the mechanical properties of thin films. It reproduces the principle of sonar in nanoscale structures: A spectroscopic pulsed laser source generates acoustic waves in thin-film stacks. Analyzing the propagation of the acoustic pulse in the stack with the technology provides the characterization of each layer.

The program will extend the use of this technology in the microelectronics industry and in thin-materials analysis.

“Colored picosecond acoustics fits the mechanical characterization requirements that have accompanied the trends in scaling and increasing complexity of integrated electronics,” Menapic President said Patrick Emery. The program will position the technology for on-site utilization, he added.

Adding colored picosecond acoustics to Leti’s advanced characterization techniques aligns with its technology road maps, the research and technology organization said.

For more information, visit: www.leti.fr or www.menapic.com