Developments in microscopy in the last twenty years or so have been dramatic and impressive. Not only can individual atoms be seen with relatively inexpensive instruments, but is even possible to manipulate them, fulfilling the prophecies made by Richard Feyrman in his “Room at the Bottom” address given in 1959. Why, one might reasonably ask. when it is possible to observe, manipulate, and identify single atoms, would someone want to waste their time with an instrument so “old fashioned” as a light microscope?

With such topics as ISO-9000, TQM (Total Quality Management) and with the Maicolm Baldridge Quality Award being mentioned these days, it may not be long before instrument calibration becomes an issue in your laboratory. Among the many important areas governed will be magnification accuracy of optical microscopes, TEMs, and SEMs, The following brief discussion probes the rather complex subject of SEM magnification accuracy.

Firearms are involved in roughly 60% of all murders, 33% of all robberies and almost 25% of aggravated assaults. Given these statistics, it is easy to see why a determination of whether an individual has recently been in the immediate vicinity of a discharged firearm is important to law enforcement.

The Photon Tunneling Microscope is used to provide high resolution (subnanometer vertical), quantifiable, real-time, 3-D (with continuously variable viewpoint) imaging and profilometry of homogenous dielectric samples, whether transparent or absorbing. A partial list of these includes: thin films (micraroughness. damage evaluation, step height) optical storage media (pit depth and shape measurement), magnetic media (microroughness, wear tracks), polymers (surface characterization), optical surfaces (microroughness, damage, polishing evaluation), diamond-turned optical surfaces (tool and machine characteristics from surface topography), binary optic surfaces, porous silicon structure, photographic grain analysis, replicas of metal surfaces, microlithography evaluation, and manufacturing web evaluation (film base, magnetic media base).