CONFOCAL MICROSCOPE

Visitors to the Web site of Olympus Life and Material Science Europa GmbH can view a demonstration of the company’s Lext UV-laser scanning confocal microscope for precise surface analysis. It depicts the real-time 3-D observation and measurement of samples placed on the microscope stage without pretreatment. Numerous application images in 2- and 3-D, from metal corrosion on automotive parts to the measurement of the laser mark depth for bare wafer production, are presented. The device’s image processing functions, including noise filtering, curve and tilt compensation, and edge contrast and enhancement; and its analytical capabilities, such as particle analysis and 2-D, depth, volume/surface area, linewidth and geometrical measurements, are explored.