Nikon Instruments,
Inc., a world leader in the development and manufacture of optical and digital
imaging technology for biomedical and industrial applications, introduced the
BW-H501 high-speed 3D surface profile system, offering rapid high-precision
3D surface inspection. The BW-H501 system features real-time height observation
with high-precision height measurement, making analysis and evaluation of object
surface roughness possible. Additionally, a heated stage allows observation
and analysis of the deformation process of film and gel samples in real time.
"Observation and analysis of optically diffusive surfaces is a weakness
of conventional optical systems, but it presents little difficulty for the BW-H501,"
said Mike Metzger, General Manager, Industrial Microscopy & Metrology. "The
BW-H501's unique combination of a high-speed camera system with newly developed
fringe cycle method software makes surface profiling possible in as little as
200ms for a height of 40 micrometers."
Using the fringe cycle method, the coordinate value on the Z-axis with the
maximum local focus measure is taken as the height of each pixel, generating
an interference fringe on the surface of the object with a two beam interference
objective lens. This allows the BW-H501 to achieve effective height resolution
of 100 nm and repeatable precision of Sigma =3D 10 nm. Additionally, the BW-H501's
X-Cycle Imager makes image capture of 900 fps possible with output and display
of real-time height images at 5 fps. Equipped with Nikon's BridgeElements software,
multiple images can be processed simultaneously, allowing real-time image comparison.
Posted October 1st, 2009
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