The coating module The coating module

Introduction ..........................................................................2

The Menu 3

Check Sample Parameters... ...............................................4

Sample Parameters to Image ..............................................6
Layer Thickness ...................................................................6
Auto. Layer Thickness .........................................................8
Results .................................................................................8
Results to Overlay ...............................................................8
Redefine Sample Parameters... ...........................................9
Ecoat1202
 The coating module • Introduction

Introduction
Using the menu Coating you can evaluate ball indentation cuts of thin
coatings and determine their coating thickness.
The specimen under test should be a substrate, which has one or more
layers, coated by different coating methods (PVD, CVD, VPS, APS etc.).
To determine the coating thickness a ball indentation is grinded into the
specimen using a grinding ball, which has a diameter between about 10 and
50 mm. The ball indentation must have the minimum thickness of the sum
of all coatings. In case of a plane surface, the cut image shows circle-shaped
borders of the coatings. If the surface is curved in one direction the borders
are ellipse-shaped. The width of the ellipse alongside the non-curved
direction corresponds to the diameter of the circle in case of a flat surface.
If the surface is a sphere, the borders again have the shape of a circle. In
this case the evaluation has to consider the curving radius of the surface.
The automatic determination of the circles and the determination of the
coating thickness is possible, if the border lines of the coatings are circle-
shaped and if the lines are displayed in the image completely. In the other
case you have to define the border lines manually.
The evaluation of the coating thickness from the circle diameters uses
geometric considerations. The measuring results can be copied into the
overlay of the image and are transferred to a sheet.
Showing measurement
results
The image shows the
results of a layer thickness
measurement displayed in
the overlay
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 The Menu

The table Layers is

automatically created after a
measurement. Apart from
the results of the
measurement it also shows
details such as the date of
the measurement and the
order number.

The Menu
If you open Coating, the following pulldown appears:

Alternatively you can activate some commands with the coating button bar:

Redefine Sample Parameters

Layer Thickness
Results
Results to Overlay
 The coating module • Check Sample Parameters...

Check Sample Parameters...

Use this command to define the specimen parameters, which should be used for the evaluation of a ball
indentation cut image.
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see also: This command is mainly required when processing multiple images. If you
Redefine Sample measure each sample individually, you should use the command Redefine
Parameters... on page 9 Sample Parameters...for the definition of the sample parameters.

The tab In the group Specimen surface you define the shape of the sample’s surface
Preparation Parameter and its position under the microscope.
If the checkbox Plane is marked, the border line is circle-shaped and the
evaluation of the coating thickness can be performed automatically.
If the sample is a sphere, you have to mark the checkbox XY Convex and
define the curvature radius in the field Radius of curvature.
If the surface of the sample is curved, position it under the microscope in a
way that the curvature is along either the X- or the Y-axis. Then select the
corresponding option in the window.
If the surface is curved along the horizontal direction, you have to mark the
checkboxes X Convex or X Concave.
 Check Sample Parameters...

If the surface is curved along the vertical direction, you have to mark the
checkboxes Y Convex or Y Concave.
If none of the options mentioned above fits for the sample, select the option
Arbitrary. Now you can choose the axis freely so that they correspond to the
position of the sample under the microscope.
In the group Calculation algoritm you define the shape of the surface along
the measured axis: If the surface along the measured axis is plane, select
the first option.
If the surface is curved, select the second option and define the curvature
radius.
The field Diameter of the grinding ball defines the diameter of the grinding
ball which is used to perform the ball indentation.
In the group Number of layers you define the number of the coatings. This
is the number of the circles in the ball indentation cut image minus 1.

The tab In the groups Determination of layer thickness, Specimen and Test program
Sample Description you can edit some more data for the test protocol.
 The coating module • Sample Parameters to Image

Sample Parameters to Image

This command copies the parameters defined by the command Check Sample Parameters... to the
image. This is an internal function in analySIS® which does not change the display of the image.

This command is mainly required when processing multiple images. If you

measure each sample individually, the sample parameters are copied
automatically to the image after a measurement so that you do not require
this command.
Note The function CopyCoatingParamsToImg(); copies the current sample
parameters to the image. To get a fast image evaluation, this function should
be performed automatically after image acquisition. To do this, enter the
function in the Macro tab, Postprocessing steps field of the current input
channel (menu Image> Configure Input....).

Layer Thickness
Use this command to measure the border lines and to evaluate the coating thickness manually.

How To..... How to measure the coating thickness when the border lines are circle-
shaped:
1) Define the first circle by marking three points. Choose the largest circle
for this procedure, because then the circle center can be evaluated
more exactly.
2) Then you define the diameters of the other circles by simply clicking on
their border lines
> After the definition of the last border line, the results are shown in
the overlay of the image and are written to a table. The thickness of
the coatings is given from the outer coating to the inner one.
Besides, the results are saved along with the image so that they are
always available.
see also: Ball indentation cuts with circle-shaped borderlines can also be measured
Auto. Layer Thickness on automatically.
page 8
6

How To..... How to measure the coating thickness when the border lines are ellipse-
shaped:
1) Choose the first calculation algorithm if you want to measure the width
of the ellipses along the axis which is not curved.
2) Choose the second calculation algorithm if you want to measure the
width of the ellipses along the axis which is curved. Then define the
Radius of Curvature.
3) For the measurement of the ellipses mark two points on the outer line
of the ellipses and then two points on the inner line. If you want to
measure several coatings, also proceed from the outer line to the inner
line. The delimitation of a coating is indicated by small lines.
> After the definition of the last border line, the results are shown in
the overlay of the image and are written to a table. The thickness of
the coatings is given from the outer coating to the inner one.
Besides, the results are saved along with the image so that they are
always available.
 Layer Thickness

Evaluation of coating The evaluation of the coating thickness d uses the following formulas:
thickness - formulas 1) plane sample surface

d = R 2 − r2 2 − R 2 − r12

2) spherical sample surface

d 0 = R 2 − r22 − R 2 − r12

d = R S− R S 2 + r2 2 − r12 + d 0 2 − 2 ⋅ d 0 ⋅ R S 2 − r12
 The coating module • Auto. Layer Thickness

Auto. Layer Thickness

Use this command to evaluate the coating thickness automatically. This is only possible with cut images
that show circle-shaped border lines.

The automatic evaluation considers the user defined frame. The frame
should be used, if, e.g., there are some disturbances at the image borders.
If the image is a true color image, the evaluation will perform a gray value
image first, using a special conversion function.
The main steps for the automatic evaluation are the determination of the
circle centers and the circle diameters.
For the evaluation of the center the mean intensity profiles in horizontal,
vertical and along 45°- and -45°-direction are measured. The profiles are
smoothed and derived. The 1. derivation shows a peak at the border lines
of the circles. The center of both peaks is the center of the circle. For the
evaluation of the horizontal and vertical mean profiles, the image must be
completely within the frame.
If the horizontal and vertical profiles as well as the 45°-profiles are used,
both evaluated centers can be compared. The evaluation stops, if the
difference is too high.
For the evaluation of the diameters the program computes mean radial
profiles starting from the center. The diameter is determined by the largest
peaks of the 1. derivation of these profile. Peaks at smaller radii are
suppressed.
The results are copied to the image. So you always have access to the
coating thickness results. At the end, a part of the sample parameters and
the measuring results are displayed in the overlay and written to a sheet.
This corresponds to the functions Results and Results to Overlay.

Results
Use this function to see the sheet which contains the sample parameters and the measuring results of a
measured image.
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This function is only available, if the current image has been measured
before. The name of the sheet is Layers.
If there are different images of the same sample, all measuring results can
be copied to one sheet. In this case the mean value and the standard
deviation of the coating thickness are computed.

Results to Overlay
Use this function to write the measuring results to the overlay of the image.

This function is only available, if the current image has been measured
before.
 Redefine Sample Parameters...

Redefine Sample Parameters...

Use this command to define the sample parameters for a measurement.

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With this command the details for the measurement to be taken are defined:
Define how many coatings will be measured, what the sample’s surface is
like and, with convex or concave surfaces, in which direction the ellipses will
be measured.
see also: The elements of this window are identical to those in the window Check
Check Sample Sample Parameters.... This is why you will find the description of the fields
Parameters... on page 4 in that chapter.
 The coating module • Redefine Sample Parameters...
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 Index

B
ball indentation 2

C
coating button bar 3
coating methods 2

D
diameter of the grinding ball 2

F
formulas for evaluation of coating thickness 7

G
grinding ball
diameter 2

L
Layer Thickness 6

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number of coatings 5

R
Radius of curvature 4
Redefine Sample Parameters... 9
Results 8
Results to Overlay 8

S
Sample Parameters to Image 6

T
true color image 8
 Index
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