Electro Scientific Industries,
Inc. (Nasdaq:ESIO), a leading provider of world-class photonic and laser
systems for microengineering applications, today announced that its New Wave
Research (NWR) Division's UP213 laser ablation system helped enable the dating
of ancient asteroids at the Department of Geology at the University of Maryland.
In conjunction with a high-resolution mass spectrometer, the UP213 system was
used to determine the age and elemental composition of two newly discovered
ancient asteroidal fragments, enabling new insight into the formation of our
early solar system.
James Day—a research associate working at the University of Maryland—reported
on the use of NWR’s UP213 system to determine the age and mineralogical
characterization of two asteroid fragments in an article published in the leading
science journal, Nature, on January 8, 2009.
James explained, “The UP213 system made it possible to determine the
age of the asteroid fragments to a high level of precision, while also providing
vital spatial information on the formation of minerals present in the samples
at the micron scale. It is our intention to continue to leverage NWR’s
advanced research tools to further our understanding of Earth and solar system
processes.”
“The UP213 system is capable of measuring isotopic ratios of chemical
elements to rapidly calculate the age of the asteroids in regions as small as
four microns in diameter,” noted ESI’s NWR marketing director, Michael
Stubelt. “The high precision and versatility of our many systems enables
our laser ablation solutions to achieve consistent growth. Building on the success
of this study, we look forward to developing advanced technology to further
the analytical sciences industry.”
The Universal Platform (UP) series is a family of high-precision laser ablation
systems designed with solid sampling for analytical science in mind. The Universal
Platform is the market leader and considered to be the gold standard in laser
ablation. Such systems are used worldwide in applications as diverse as geosciences,
forensics, biomedical, materials analysis, semiconductor analysis, archaeological
investigation and gem fingerprinting. It can also be applied to environmental
sciences and climatology, a fast growing area of scientific interest in this
century.
ESI is a pioneer and leading supplier of world-class photonic and laser systems
that help its microelectronics customers achieve compelling yield and productivity
gains. The company’s industry-leading, application-specific products enhance
electronic-device performance in three key sectors—semiconductors, components
and electronic interconnect—by enabling precision fine-tuning of device
microfeatures in high-volume manufacturing environments. Founded in 1944, ESI
is headquartered in Portland, Ore.