Attolight is developing a leading edge technology characterization platform based on the cathodoluminescence method.

Cathodoluminescence (CL) is an optical phenomenom whereby a beam of electrons is generated by an electron gun and then impacts on a luminescent material causing the material to emit light. The most common example is the screen of a television using a cathode ray tube. CL is also a characterization method, where light collection gives useful information about the physical properties of the material, the presence of defects or the behavior of carriers in a semiconductor device.

The company Attolight makes CL available in a simplified system that integrates CL with both light and electron microscopy. It features a hyperspectral imaging mode that reveals ultra-trace impurities and crystallographic defects not visible using other imaging modalities. At production sites, it is expected to become a major tool for detecting defective materials at an early stage of the manufacturing process thereby generating significant savings.

Attolight's system is unique and provides very high resolution specifications not existing anywhere else in the world. It can detect 10 nanometer strutures and can be upgraded to a 10 picoseconds time-resolution mode. The time-resolution configuration can be compared to a stromboscopic camera able to detect the movements or diffusion of electrons or holes in a semiconductor device.