The scanning electron microscope (SEM) is a core metrology tool in semiconductor manufacturing, responsible for critical dimension metrology and defect review, with both spatial resolution and measurement accuracy at the nanometer scale. The high-precision environmental control technology developed by Jice (Nanjing) Technology Co., Ltd. is specifically designed to support such precision measurement instruments as the SEM: by High-Precision Environmental Control System UPECS and High-precision chiller Centered around two flagship products, these solutions create a fully controlled microenvironment for SEMs—precisely regulating temperature, humidity, and cleanliness—ensuring that the equipment maintains consistent measurement accuracy even during prolonged, continuous operation.

The SEM’s high sensitivity to environmental disturbances stems from its operating principle, which relies on the stability of physical fields. Temperature fluctuations, through thermal expansion and contraction of structural components, translate into drift of the electron-optical system’s focal plane and displacement of the sample stage, directly altering the electron beam’s focus and incidence position, thereby skewing measurement results. Environmental vibrations, via mechanical coupling, degrade image resolution and blur edges. Relative humidity that is too low can trigger electrostatic charge buildup and discharge (ESD), while excessively high humidity may lead to condensation on the sample surface, forming a thin water film. Moreover, fine particles carried in air currents, once deposited on the sample, can be misinterpreted as process defects, giving rise to false defects. Consequently, for scanning electron microscopy, environmental control is not merely an ancillary measure but an integral component of the instrument’s measurement capability itself.

The high-precision environmental control system, UPECS, is designed for the device-level microenvironment, creating a locally controlled space for SEMs and directly regulating temperature, humidity, and cleanliness in the area where the electron microscope itself is located. Its key performance indicators include a maximum… ±0.002℃ the stability of air temperature, ±0.1% RH the humidity stability and ISO Class 1 Cleanliness: Temperature stability suppresses thermal drift in the electron-optical system at its source, ensuring stable relative positioning between the beam focus and the sample; humidity control eliminates electrostatic discharge and water‑film‑induced imaging artifacts; and ISO Class 1 cleanliness markedly reduces the likelihood of particulate contamination entering the sample area. The UPECS‑designed microenvironment for the SEM’s main unit delivers precise, centralized control with rapid response, meeting the stringent requirements of high‑precision metrology instruments for thermal equilibrium and cleanliness.

The operating SEM itself continuously generates heat: the electromagnetic lens coils and the vacuum pump system produce significant thermal loads, which, if not promptly dissipated, can disrupt the temperature‑field uniformity of the electron‑optical system. As a standalone product, the Jice chiller supplies constant‑temperature cooling water to both the SEM’s electron‑optical system and its vacuum pump assembly, removing heat at the source and stabilizing the internal temperature field. The chiller can be configured as an independent unit or integrated with UPECS to form a comprehensive environmental‑control solution, making it suitable for SEM applications of varying scales and budgets.

In semiconductor manufacturing lines, SEM measurement results directly guide feedback adjustments in critical process steps such as lithography and etching; the reliability of these measurements is pivotal to yield and throughput. A stable microenvironment ensures not only the accuracy of individual measurements but also the long-term repeatability and reproducibility of measurements—meaning that, at the same measurement location and under identical process conditions, results obtained at different times can be consistently reproduced. The team at Jice (Nanjing) Technology Co., Ltd. has more than two decades of technical expertise in precision environmental control; core R&D and product implementation are complete, and its capabilities for engineering and mass‑scale delivery are fully established. For SEM users, selecting an appropriately tailored environmental control solution provides a fundamental guarantee for the long‑term stability of scanning electron microscopy measurements.