ZYGO ZMI-4104 belongs to the innovative ZMI™ series of ZYGO Corporation. It is a high-precision measuring electronic device that occupies an extremely critical position in many industries with strict requirements for precision, such as semiconductor manufacturing, precision machinery processing, and scientific research.

As a leader in the field of precision optical measurement, ZYGO Corporation has meticulously created this high-performance product, ZMI-4104, relying on its profound technical accumulation and continuous innovative spirit. It is a core component of the displacement measurement interferometer system, responsible for processing and in-depth analysis of signals from ZYGO interferometers, and ultimately achieving amazing nanoscale high-precision displacement measurement, fully demonstrating ZYGO Corporation's unremitting pursuit of high precision and reliability.

II. Technical Parameters

Displacement measurement resolution: ZMI-4104 has an impressive sub-nanometer resolution, capable of accurately detecting displacement changes as small as 0.1nm. Such ultra-high resolution enables it to sensitively capture extremely subtle displacement differences, perfectly meeting the extreme demand for high-precision measurement in cutting-edge fields such as nanotechnology and semiconductor manufacturing. In these fields, even an extremely small displacement deviation may have a significant impact on product quality and performance.

Number of measurement axes: The device supports up to four measurement axes and can connect four interferometers simultaneously to realize multi-dimensional displacement measurement. In complex measurement scenarios, this multi-axis measurement capability has significant advantages. It can comprehensively and accurately obtain displacement information of objects in different directions, providing rich and comprehensive data support for researchers and engineers to gain in-depth insight into the movement state and change trend of the measured object.

Interface type: It adopts the advanced VME64x interface, which is widely used in high-performance data acquisition and control systems. Through the VME64x interface, ZMI-4104 can quickly and stably perform data interaction and communication with other devices, effectively ensuring the efficiency and reliability of data transmission. At the same time, it also supports RS232 or RS485 interfaces, facilitating connection with some traditional devices or devices with relatively low communication rate requirements, which greatly enhances the compatibility and applicability of the device, enabling it to easily integrate into various types of measurement systems.

Data transmission rate: It has a data transmission rate of up to 10MHz, which can transmit a large amount of measurement data quickly and stably. This feature is crucial in application scenarios that require real-time processing and analysis of large amounts of data, ensuring that measurement data can be obtained and processed in a timely and accurate manner, providing a strong guarantee for efficient decision-making.

Optical connection mode: It uses ST optical fiber connection, which has excellent optical signal transmission performance, can effectively reduce signal loss, ensure high-quality transmission of measurement signals, and thus improve the accuracy and stability of measurement. Combined with HSSDC electrical connection, the electrical performance of the device is further optimized to ensure stable operation of the device in complex working environments.
Environmental parameters: In terms of operating temperature, it can usually adapt to the temperature range of 10 degrees Celsius to 35 degrees Celsius. Within this temperature range, the device can maintain stable performance and will not be significantly affected by temperature fluctuations. The operating humidity range is generally 20% - 80%, with a certain moisture-proof capability, allowing it to work normally in common humidity environments without causing a decline in electrical performance or measurement accuracy due to moisture issues.

III. Functional Features

High-precision measurement function: The high-precision measurement function is the core highlight of ZMI-4104. With the help of advanced signal processing algorithms and precise optical interference principles, it can accurately parse the signals collected by the interferometer, thereby obtaining extremely accurate displacement measurement results. Taking the semiconductor manufacturing process as an example, the displacement control of wafers in chip manufacturing equipment is extremely demanding. ZMI-4104 can monitor the displacement changes of wafers in real-time and accurately, ensuring the accuracy and consistency of the chip manufacturing process and effectively improving the yield of chips.

Cyclic error compensation function: It uses patented cyclic error compensation technology, which can automatically and seamlessly eliminate the inherent nonlinear errors common in DMI systems. This error compensation function is of great significance for improving the accuracy and repeatability of measurements, especially in scenarios that require multiple repeated measurements or long-term continuous measurements. It can ensure the consistency and reliability of each measurement result, avoid measurement deviations caused by system errors, and provide solid and reliable data support for scientific research experiments and industrial production.

Advantages of modular design: It adopts a modular design concept and has excellent expandability. It can work in collaboration with other ZMI™ series boards, easily expanding to up to 64 measurement axes. This modular design provides users with great flexibility. Whether building a simple small-scale measurement system or a complex large-scale industrial automation measurement network, users can construct the most suitable measurement solution by reasonably adding or combining modules according to actual needs, effectively reducing the system construction cost and the difficulty of later upgrade and maintenance.

Software support function: It is equipped with special data acquisition, analysis, and visualization software. The software has a user-friendly interface and is easy to learn, so even users without professional programming background can master it quickly. Through this software, users can conveniently set measurement parameters, start measurement tasks, and view real-time change curves and charts of measurement data. At the same time, the software also has powerful data analysis functions, which can perform statistical analysis and filtering processing on measurement data, helping users deeply explore the information behind the data and providing a strong basis for decision-making.

IV. Application Fields

Semiconductor manufacturing field: ZMI-4104 plays a pivotal role in the entire process of semiconductor manufacturing. In the lithography process, high-precision control of the displacement of the lithography machine's workbench is required. ZMI-4104 can monitor the tiny displacement of the workbench in real-time to ensure the precise positioning of the lithography pattern, thereby significantly improving the manufacturing precision and performance of the chip. In the chip packaging process, the alignment accuracy between the chip and the substrate is extremely high. ZMI-4104 can be used to measure and adjust the position of the chip to ensure the accuracy and reliability of the packaging and effectively reduce the rejection rate. In addition, in the research and development and maintenance of semiconductor equipment, it is also necessary to rely on the high-precision measurement function of ZMI-4104 to perform performance testing and fault diagnosis on key components of the equipment, ensuring the normal operation of the equipment.

Precision machinery processing field: In precision machinery processing, as the requirements for processing precision are increasingly high, the importance of ZMI-4104 is becoming more and more prominent. It can be used to monitor and control the motion accuracy of machine tools. By measuring the relative displacement between the tool and the workpiece in real-time, it can timely adjust the motion parameters of the machine tool to ensure the dimensional accuracy and surface quality of the processed parts. For example, in the processing of components in the aerospace field, many key parts require processing precision to reach the micron or even nanometer level. ZMI-4104 can provide reliable measurement guarantee for these high-precision processing tasks, ensuring that the processed parts meet strict quality standards.

Scientific research field: In nanotechnology research, scientists need to accurately measure and analyze the growth process, structural changes, and mechanical properties of nanomaterials. The sub-nanometer resolution and multi-axis measurement function of ZMI-4104 make it a powerful assistant in nanotechnology research, which can help researchers deeply understand the characteristics and behaviors of nanomaterials and promote the vigorous development of nanotechnology. In the field of optical research, the requirements for measuring the surface morphology and optical properties of optical components are extremely high. As a high-precision measuring device, ZMI-4104 can be used to measure parameters such as surface roughness and surface shape error of optical lenses, mirrors, and other components, providing important data support for the design and optimization of optical systems. In biomedical research, some high-precision experimental equipment, such as atomic force microscopes, also need to rely on the high-precision displacement measurement function of ZMI-4104 to realize the accurate operation and observation of biological samples.

Optical manufacturing field: In the manufacturing process of optical components such as optical lenses, prisms, and mirrors, ZMI-4104 is used for strict detection of the surface quality of optical components. By measuring parameters such as morphology, roughness, and curvature of the optical component surface, it can determine whether it meets the design requirements, timely detect and correct defects in the manufacturing process, and improve the yield of optical components. In the assembly process of optical systems, ZMI-4104 can be used to accurately adjust the position and angle of optical components to ensure the optical axis consistency and imaging quality of the optical system, providing a solid guarantee for the production of high-quality optical instruments such as telescopes, microscopes, and projectors.