NanoSurf 488                         profilometer, IBM AT
Analyze and Display Surface Profiles
 
Microbytes Daily News Service
Copyright (c) 1989, McGraw-Hill, Inc.
The Nanosurf 488 profilometer from SAS Technologies not only
analyzes but displays surface profiles in two and three
dimensions. The system lets you visualize microscopic surface
roughness so you can see the vulnerable zone exposed to
corrosion, contamination, and wear, as well as the source
of contact, adherence, and lubrication problems.
 
For three-dimensional profilometry, you place the surface of a
sample on a base plate fixed to a pair of stepping motors. These
motors move in the same plane along two perpendicular directions,
x and y, under a fixed sensor. The system then scans a zone of
the sample surface along a series of parallel lines.
 
All the system's components are connected to and controlled by
an IBM AT. The computer controls the synchronization of the motor
displacement and handles data acquisition, A/D conversion, and
data processing, including topographic display and statistical
characterization of the surface.
 
The software, called Nano88, gives you a many possibilities and
functions for 2-D and 3-D analysis, such as rapid acquisitions,
multidirectional viewing, contour mapping, zoom display, surface
characterization, least-square plane-surface smoothing, and
high- and low-pass numerical filtering.
 
Since the Nanosurf 488 system is basically independent of the
sensor, you can use it to convert an existing 2-D system into a
3-D one, with a visualization axis ranging between 30 and 75
degrees. The optional charge-coupled-device camera lets you
locate and identify up to 16 zones and enlarge them on the color
video screen. You then automatically acquire 3-D profiles of
those same zones. The system provides vertical resolution of up
to 10 nm, while the minimum horizontal resolution step can be as
fine as 100 nm with the optional high-resolution motor.
 
The Nano88 software runs on the IBM AT with 1 megabyte of RAM,
DOS 3.3, a 40-megabyte hard disk drive, and an EGA color monitor.
SAS Technologies offers Nanosurf 488 as a turnkey3-D system, or
the company can transform your existing 2-D profilometer into a
3-D system.
 
Price: 340,000 to 427,000 French francs.
 
Contact: SAS Technologies, Technoparc, rue du Cristal, 45072
Orleans Cedex 2, France, 33-38-76-03-03.
 
                              --- Martha Hicks
 
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