A Safer Way to Make Metal Nanoscale Spheres for Calibrating Surface Inspection Instruments

Tiny surface defects that form during processing can reduce the quality and yield of semiconductor devices, magnetic storage media, and other products. Inspection tools that locate, identify, and characterize surface defects based upon how they reflect or scatter light need to be calibrated with accurate particle size standards in order to work properly. Making metallic standards for such calibrations is typically a hazardous process, but researchers at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) and the University of Maryland have invented a safer method and apparatus for producing these standards.

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<p><a href="http://www.physorg.com/news406.html">A Safer Way to Make Metal Nanoscale Spheres for Calibrating Surface Inspection Instruments</a></p> <p>Tiny surface defects that form during processing can reduce the quality and yield of semiconductor devices, magnetic storage media, and other products. Inspection tools that locate, identify, and characterize surface defects based upon how they reflect or scatter light need to be calibrated with accurate particle size standards in order to work properly. Making metallic standards for such calibrations is typically a hazardous process, but researchers at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) and the University of Maryland have invented a safer method and apparatus for producing these standards.</p>