Posted: August 11, 2008

(Nanowerk News) Olympus and Digital Surf have announced an agreement whereby Olympus will supply users of its LEXT OLS3100 confocal laser scanning microscope (cLSM) with 3D surface texture and micro-geometry analysis software based upon Digital Surf’s Mountains technology.

The LEXT OLS3100 provides non-contact metrology and has earned an excellent reputation for its high resolution and versatile observation of all types of samples. It provides dependable repeatability, fast measurement speed and a "single click" operation. As global competition intensifies and technologies advance, the LEXT promotes efficiency in R&D and helps to ensure higher standards of quality management. It has numerous applications in many fields including precision inspection of semiconductors, flat-panel displays, MEMS, automotive engine parts and a wide range of materials.

Mountains is the leading software for surface texture analysis and is the perfect complement to the LEXT. It analyses images generated by the LEXT and provides users with all of the analytical functions needed to prepare detailed and accurate surface metrology reports in an easy and straightforward way.

A Mountains analysis document is built frame by frame in an intuitive desktop publishing environment with a multi-language user interface. Real-time 3D imaging and intelligent pre-processing to maximise image quality make it easy to locate and visualise surface features and anomalies at any zoom level or angle.

Mountains pseudo-colour image of a contact on a printed circuit board (X 128 µm x Y 31.9 µm x Z 22.5 µm). The reflection layer generated by the LEXT is superimposed on the topography layer and reveals anomalous cracks on the surface.

Surface roughness analysis is carried out in accordance with advanced filtering techniques as defined in the ISO 16610 standard, including the new robust filters used by the automotive industry. A full set of 3D surface parameters are generated in accordance with the new ISO 25178 standard, the first international standard on 3D surface texture, which provides a solid foundation for industry’s transition from 2D to 3D surface analysis.

Dimensional checking includes step heights between two different zones of interest on the surface, for example on MEMS and mechanical components used in the electronics and other industries. Moreover, a sub-surface layer can be extracted from a surface for independent analysis, e.g. the flatness of an extracted layer can be calculated with a single click. Numerous other analytical studies include: functional parameters used by the automotive industry, grains and particle analysis for applications in metallurgy and nanotechnology, as well as advanced statistical options.

In addition to the analysis of 3D surfaces and 2D profiles that are extracted from them, Mountains provides new functions for analysing the evolution of 3D surfaces with respect to time or other 4th physical dimension parameters such as temperature, pressure or magnetic field. In addition, simulated flights over 3D surfaces changing in time can be output to video for animated presentations.

“LEXT customers using Mountains will benefit from the latest software technology for 2D, 3D and 4D surface texture analysis,” stated Michael Schiller at Olympus. “The software contains powerful and easy to use functions for visualising and analysing LEXT measurement data.”

"The agreement with Olympus increases the presence of Mountains software technology in the microscopy market,” stated Christophe Mignot, CEO of Digital Surf. “Digital Surf was a pioneer in 3D surface texture analysis and is now opening up new horizons with the ability to analyse 4D surface evolution.”

About Digital Surf

Digital Surf, founded in 1989, is a leading provider of solutions for surface metrology. The company supplies analysis software for 2D/3D surface texture based on its Mountains® technology, modular, expandable control systems for driving multi-gauge, multi-axis profilometers based on its Volcanyon® technology, and high precision confocal chromatic optical distance gauges based on its Nobis® technology, to metrology instrument manufacturers, research laboratories and industry worldwide.