The optics equipment company, Cubixel succeeded in developing 3D hologram automatic optical inspection (AOI) technology that can be applied to major industrial fields such as semiconductors, displays, and printed circuit boards (PCB). 

Specifically, Cubixel (CEO Taegeun Kim) developed an 'FSH (Flying-over scanning holography) optical module' for 3D hologram AOI that increases the yield of core parts used in the ICT industry. It was announced on February 2 that the technology is currently being applied to production lines of large companies with the goal of commercialization by the end of June. 

Prevalent 3D AOI equipment synthesizes approximately 1,000 2D images and re-creates them as 3D images. On the contrary, 3D hologram AOI equipment realizes 3D images with a single image. This renders possible the speedy and accurate defect inspection of parts with low-capacity data.

From the second half of this year, the company plans to introduce AOI equipment that utilizes the 'FSH optical module' for semiconductor assembly, display, and PCB hole/wiring inspection, and more. As such, the company is expected to pioneer the AOI equipment market using 3D hologram technology.

Based on hologram technology, the 'FSH optical module' can extract high-speed 3D image information at over 15 frames per second. This technology greatly shortens quality inspection times for high-density and ultra-fine parts, thereby boosting productivity. In particular, with a resolution of 1㎛ class, 3D information on detailed areas of parts with a depth of 5 mm or less, such as bump balls, copper patterns, PCB holes, and package-on-package (PoP) holes, can be secured with a single image.

In addition, it is possible to inspect defects such as bubbles, particles, scratches, chippings, etc. formed at the bottom of a complex layer that is combined with a reflector object, or a defective image of the object surface with considerable reflection. By securing a depth of field (DoF) of 5 mm or more, the technology can be applied to inspections that are difficult to execute with existing equipment. Such inspections include the examination of length, height and shape of wires connecting chips in multi-packages, alignment between chips, depth of via holes in PCB, hole diameters and more. 

Kim Taegeun, CEO of Cubixel noted that “after four years since its launch, the company’s potential and technological value has been successfully recognized by large companies. He added that the company will open a new market for hologram 3D AOI equipment by means of consolidating the capabilities of hologram technology— a new paradigm for imaging systems.”

The company owns full-color FSH camera-based technology that applies 3D hologram technology to camera technology, making it possible to take a hologram image of a general object in full color. With a foundation in its original hologram technology, the company plans to expand its application fields not only to the optical inspection equipment market for parts, but also to the biomedical device market, such as holographic 3D laparoscopes, holographic 3D fluorescence microscopes, and holographic 3D live cell imaging.