This section provides an overview for laser scanning microscoppes as well as their applications and principles. Also, please take a look at the list of 3 laser scanning microscoppe manufacturers and their company rankings. Here are the top-ranked laser scanning microscoppe companies as of November, 2024: 1.Doric Lenses, 2.Lasertec Corporation.
Table of Contents
A Shape Analysis Laser Microscope is a microscope that uses a laser beam to measure the surface topography of an object.
Some microscopes have the same functionality but use a contact probe such as a cantilever, which touches the surface and may damage or scratch the sample. Shape analysis laser microscopes, on the other hand, utilize light reflection, allowing non-contact inspection.
Although the optical system is the same as that of a typical confocal laser microscope, many products are available that employ a high-speed MEMS scanner or resonant scanner to obtain three-dimensional information, thereby reducing scanning time.
Shape analysis laser microscopes are used to inspect various products and search for problems. In particular, they are often used for semiconductor components and printed circuit boards, because the components themselves are very small and have an elaborate surface structure, allowing non-contact, non-destructive inspection.
Using a problem-free product as a reference and superimposing it on the image of the inspected part allows rapid detection of problem areas. Also, because it is non-contact, it can be used for soft samples, and no special pre-treatment is required, so it is also used for inspecting food products.
The microscope acquires surface shape information by emitting a laser beam and detecting its reflected light.
Since the intensity of light attenuates with the square of the distance, monitoring the intensity of the reflected light will reveal the distance to the surface. In this case, if light from an out-of-focus object is inserted, the increase or decrease in reflected light will be averaged out, reducing sensitivity.
To prevent this, the microscope employs confocal optics with pinholes in the conjugate focal plane to cut excess light from the non-focal plane. The distance information to the surface is thus accurately obtained as two-dimensional information by scanning the laser in the X- and Y- directions.
Furthermore, by scanning the objective lens in the Z direction, three-dimensional 3D shape analysis can be performed. The spatial resolution in the planar direction depends on the wavelength of the laser according to Abbe's law, as in general optical microscopy.
Therefore, if there is no problem with the sample, a near-ultraviolet laser with a shorter wavelength, such as 405 nm, can be used for high-resolution measurement.
There are three main categories of microscopes: optical microscopes, electron microscopes, and scanning probe microscopes. Laser microscopy is a type of optical microscope.
The procedure from laser irradiation to image display in a laser microscope consists of the following six steps:
Surface roughness in laser microscopy is a measure of the unevenness of a part's machined surface. Surface roughness is a cyclic shape consisting of a series of peaks and valleys of different heights, depths, and densities (spacing).
Surface roughness changes the feel and texture of a surface. The larger the surface roughness, the rougher the surface is to the touch, and the less light is reflected. On the other hand, a surface with a small surface roughness is smooth and reflects light intensely like a mirror.
Today, the texture and feel of a product are considered important, and roughness is an important indicator for quality control of appearance. Indicators of surface roughness include arithmetic mean roughness (Ra) using average values and maximum height (Rz) using the sum of peaks and valleys.
*Including some distributors, etc.
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Doric Lenses is a developer and manufacturer of optical components and photonics devices, founded in 1995 and headquartered in Quebec,Canada. The company has developed an extensive neurophotonics product line under the "doric" brand. It offers fiber-coupled light sources and controllers, rotary joints, fiber-optic patch cords, miniaturized fluorescence microscopes, and optogenetics tools. The company also provides custom design and manufacturing of photonic devices, integration into customer systems, and automation and robotization of photonic assembly. It serves multiple industries, including neuroscience, biomedical imaging, laser technology, industrial inspection, and space exploration.
Leica Microsystems is a developer and manufacturer of microscopes and scientific instruments for the analysis of microstructures and nanostructures. The company is a provider in compound and stereo microscopy, digital microscopy, confocal user scanning, and super-resolution microscopy with related imaging systems, electron microscopy, sample preparation, and surgical microscopy used in medical, life science, and industrial applications. The company’s services include service plans, preventative maintenance, remote care, and qualification services for ensuring compliance of Leica equipment to governmental regulations.
Lasertec Corporation, founded in 1960 and headquartered in Yokohama, Japan, is a manufacturer and supplier of semiconductor-related systems, FPD-related systems, and laser microscopes. The company's product portfolio includes mask inspection systems, mask edge inspection systems, FPD photomask inspection systems, laser microscopes, and lithium-ion batteries. These products find applications in various sectors, including materials science, the flat panel display industry, semiconductor manufacturing, biomedical and life sciences, as well as research and development. The company is ISO 45001 and ISO 9001 certified, with offices in the USA, China, Singapore, Taiwan, and South Korea for global outreach.
Ranking as of November 2024
Derivation MethodRank | Company | Click Share |
---|---|---|
1 | Doric Lenses |
66.7%
|
2 | Lasertec Corporation |
33.3%
|
Derivation Method
The ranking is calculated based on the click share within the laser scanning microscoppe page as of November 2024. Click share is defined as the total number of clicks for all companies during the period divided by the number of clicks for each company.Number of Employees
Newly Established Company
Company with a History
*Including some distributors, etc.
Country | Number of Companies | Share (%) |
---|---|---|
Canada | 1 | 50.0% |
Germany | 1 | 50.0% |