Surface metrology, which can otherwise be referred to as surface measurement, involves the investigation of the texture, structural characterization, roughness, shape and finish of any precision surface. Some of the most common technologies that are used to obtain surface measurements include stylus profilers and interferometry, as well as both three-dimensional (3D) and optical microscopy.
By Benedette Cuffari
19 Feb 2020
Atomic force microscopy (AFM) is an analytical technique capable of analyzing surfaces down to the molecular level, and for years it has been effectively used to describe collagen found in the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL).
By Brett Smith
19 Feb 2020
In the field of microscopy, many different processes and techniques have been developed over the past few centuries to help researchers reveal ever-more complex details of structures that exist beyond the limit of human eyesight.
By Reginald Davey
19 Feb 2020
From its beginnings in the mid-1980s, 3D printing, or as it is also increasingly referred to, additive manufacturing, has promised many advantages over conventional manufacturing methods.
There are many different components within lasers that enable them to function effectively, and many of these parts can be made from a choice of materials. One key component is the active laser medium, otherwise known as gain medium (or gain media for plural).
By Liam Critchley
13 Feb 2020
Last June, scientists from research company Forschungszentrum Jülich, alongside those at the University of Magdeburg, both in Germany, created an innovative technique for measuring electric potentials of atoms.
By Sarah Moore
12 Feb 2020
The staple of high-powered lasers was established in 1996 when the method of chirped-pulse amplification was used to create the world's first petawatt pulse with the Nova laser. Scientists have since been working on increasing the energies achievable with this process, seeking to generate laser-driven fusion.
By Sarah Moore
12 Feb 2020
Thin-film optics is the branch of optics that focusses on thin, structured layers of different materials. These layers range from a fraction of a nanometer up to several micrometers thick but are usually in the order of the wavelengths of ultraviolet light, which is about 500nm.
By Kerry Taylor-Smith
13 Feb 2020
Three scientists based at POSTECH in Korea have enhanced the photoacoustic microscopy method, creating new 'super-resolution' photoacoustic microscopy that they have proven to be 500 times fast than the conventional method, with a resolution that is 2.5 times better.
By Sarah Moore
12 Feb 2020
Recent research using electron microscopes has revealed insights into how North American hunter-gatherers created the ochre paint used in their pre-historic rock art at Babine Lake, British Columbia.
By Sarah Moore
12 Feb 2020