Tuesday, December 1, 2009
The Olympus LEXT
OLS4000 has been chosen by Germany's national metrology
institute, the PTB, for use in a joint project that aims to develop
an assistance system for confocal and interferential microscope
users. As an advanced example of the instrumentation that the
"Optassyst" project focuses on, the LEXT OLS4000 will help to
provide measurements to check the specifications of standards and
measurement procedures.
At the launch event, the LEXT OLS4000 demonstrated its leading
edge measuring capabilities by precisely resolving a 6 nm step
height feature - exceeding its design specification of 10 nm.
|
| Dr. Rolf Krüger-Sehm, Head of Working Group
'Roughness Measuring Methods", Physikalisch-Technische
Bundesanstalt, Brunswick, Germany. |
At the recent launch event, Olympus showcased the LEXT OLS4000
to 35 participants from the PTB. The initial lecture session
consisted of three presentations: What the "Optassyst" project is;
what the LEXT OLS4000 is; and the importance of resolution. These
were followed by a hands-on session where all participants were
invited to investigate various samples with the LEXT OLS4000. With
its excellent optical resolution, participants were able to view
samples with step height features down to 6 and 8 nm, exceeding the
manufacture specifications of 10 nm. As a result, the LEXT OLS4000
was extremely well received and measured all samples correctly.
The "Optassyst" project
This project - user-oriented assistance systems for the reliable
use of interferometric and confocal distance sensors in the
industrial production environment project (www.ptb.de) - aims to
develop a software-based user-friendly assistance system for
three-dimensional optical geometry recording on technical surfaces.
In cooperation with Industry and University partners, the PTB is
developing a system to provide users with a valuable resource. It
will aid in the instrument set-up, use of advanced signal
processing and the application of calibration strategies and
characteristic 3D variables, helping users to improve their
understanding of topographic measurements.
Three-dimensional surface measurement technology is essential
for the accurate recording of the optical geometry of technical
surfaces. In systems such as a combustion engine, the degree of
efficiency is dependent upon surface quality. The functional
behaviour of surfaces under such a high thermal load is therefore
optimised by specifically modifying the surface topography. As a
result, understanding the topographical measurements is pivotal to
this process and will be greatly facilitated by the results of this
project.
By using the LEXT OLS4000 as a representative for confocal laser
scanning microscopes in this project, resolution and measuring
uncertainties of features on surface topography standards will be
determined. With its excellent X/Y and cutting-edge Z performance,
the LEXT OLS4000 provides a fast and powerful way to research and
characterise these standards. This unique tool will therefore
enable users to accurately interpret measurement results.
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