Abstract: A non-contact system and method for measuring an article surface, like a surface (or portion thereof) of a sputtering target assembly, are provided. For instance, the method includes scanning a surface with a sensing beam, and measuring the distance traveled by the sensing beam reflected from the surface, to a sensing device. The system can include a sensing device for collecting surface data at a plurality of points on the surface, and an analyzing device for analyzing the collected data.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for thermographically evaluating the bond integrity of a sputtering target assembly is described. The method includes applying a heating or cooling medium or energy to one surface of the assembly and acquiring a graphic recording of a corresponding temperature change on the opposing surface of the assembly using an imaging device. Also described is a method of mathematically analyzing the pixel data recorded in each frame to produce an integrated normalized temperature map that represents the bond integrity of the assembly.