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Altera Corporation today introduced its Generation 10 FPGAs and SoCs, offering system developers breakthrough levels of performance and power efficiencies. Generation 10 devices are optimized based on process technology and architecture to deliver the industry’s highest performance and highest levels of system integration at the lowest power. Initial Generation 10 families include Arria 10 and Stratix 10 FPGAs and SoCs with embedded processors. Generation 10 devices leverage the most advanced process technologies in the industry, including Intel’s 14-nm Tri-Gate process and TSMC’s 20 nm process. Early access customers are currently using the Quartus II software for Generation 10 product development.

Altera said its Stratix 10 FPGAs and SoCs are designed to enable the most advanced, highest performance applications in the communications, military, broadcast and compute and storage markets, while slashing system power. Leveraging Intel’s 14nm Tri-Gate process and an enhanced high-performance architecture, Stratix 10 FPGAs and SoCs have an operating frequency over one gigahertz, 2X the core performance of current high-end 28nm FPGAs. For high-performance systems that have the most strict power budgets, Stratix 10 devices allow customers to achieve up to a 70 percent reduction in power consumption at performance levels equivalent to the previous generation.

Altera is announcing the technology details of Stratix 10 FPGAs and SoCs today as part of the Generation 10 portfolio introduction, and will disclose more details on the product at a later date. Stratix 10 FPGAs and SoCs provide the industry’s highest performance and highest levels of system integration, including:

  • More than four million logic elements (LEs) on a single die
  • 56-Gbps transceivers
  • More than 10-TeraFLOPs single-precision digital signal processing
  • A third-generation ultra-high-performance processor system
  • Multi-die 3D solutions capable of integrating SRAM, DRAM and ASICs

Arria 10 FPGAs and SoCs are the first device families to roll out as part of the Generation 10 portfolio. Leveraging an enhanced architecture that is optimized for TSMC’s 20nm process, Arria 10 FPGAs and SoCs deliver higher performance at up to 40 percent lower power compared to the previous device family.

Early access customers are currently using the Quartus II software for development of Arria 10 FPGA and SoCs. Initial samples of Arria 10 devices will be available in early 2014. Altera will have 14 nm Stratix 10 FPGA test chips in 2013 and Quartus II software support for Stratix 10 FPGAs and SoCs in 2014.

Sapphire is currently used in some exotic, luxury phones. However, the sapphire price reduction combined with the massive adoption of touch screens in smartphones have stimulated the interest of cell phone OEMS for this material. Crystal growth equipment manufacturer GTAT is leading the charge and recently created a lot of buzz around this application and on the OEM front. Apple is rumored to have conducted an extended due diligence.

Adoption of sapphire in mobile display covers represents the single largest opportunity. It remains, however, uncertain. Yole Développement sees four major challenges: technology, supply chain, cost and market acceptance. Crystal growth and finishing technologies still need to be optimized in order to guarantee stable performance and reduce the price gap with chemically strengthened glass like Corning’s Gorilla. Yole Développement’s analyst estimates that the current cost of manufacturing a sapphire display cover is around $22 but could drop to $12 and ultimately below $10. It remains to be seen if the bill of material increase vs. the $3 glass display cover will be absorbed by the OEM in exchange for increased market share or if the consumer will value the increased durability brought in by the sapphire cover and accept paying a premium.

sapphire substrate use

It is difficult to predict the success of sapphire in this application. However, Yole Développement expects that some OEMs will probe the market and introduce some models featuring sapphire by late 2013 – early 2014. Initial customer reaction will have a strong influence on the future of the technology. If successful, strong market traction could ease the funding for the more than $1.5 billion in capex needed to serve this industry and set up the supply chain to serve this application.

Glass cover lens manufacturers might seize the opportunity. Because of their vast existing glass finishing capacity that could be converted to process sapphire and their privileged access to leading smartphone OEMs, those companies could beat established sapphire finishing companies into this market. However, another scenario would see collaborations between some leading sapphire and cover lens makers in order to pool technical knowledge, capacity and customer access under the push of some smartphone OEMs.

In any case, if this opportunity materializes, it will transform the sapphire industry with new players emerging, and overall production capacity increasing by a factor of more than 7x.

Defense semiconductor and other applications represent 25% of the sapphire industry revenue

“These applications will bring in revenue of $240 million in 2013 and, excluding the display cover opportunity, will increase at a nine percent CAGR to US$366 million in 2018. Watch windows are currently the single largest application with revenue of US$120 million in 2012. Most applications are fairly mature with relatively low growth opportunity with the exception of the emerging mobile device camera lens cover and the aerospace market, driven by the F-35 jet fighter program and the emergence of sapphire-based transparent armors,” explains Eric Virey, senior analyst, Compound Semiconductors, at Yole Développement.

Most applications have their own “eco-systems” with preferred material vendors, finishing companies, growth technologies and barrier of entrance. The defense market, for example, is characterized by strong technical barriers in both growth and finishing, combined with export restrictions and national preferences. The semiconductor market is also fairly concentrated with two companies, Saint-Gobain Crystals and Gavish which both hold the bulk of the market due to their technology for growing the large sapphire tubes used in many plasma tools. However, competition is increasing on simpler parts like viewports and lift pins.

Industry transformation could open the door for new applications

Driven by the promise of large volumes for the LED industry, sapphire crystal growth and manufacturing capacity has increased by more than 8x in the last five years. In just the last two years, more than 80 companies have announced their intention to enter the industry, bringing the potential number of players to 130+ with more than 50 of these potential new entrants located in China.

The entrance of aggressive new players with large idle capacity is likely to challenge established players in many applications. Yole Développement expects those players to initially enter domestic and international markets with low barrier of entrance and later expand their reach as their technology matures.

Excess capacity and increased competition have created a challenging environment for sapphire makers. However, they also drove prices down dramatically and stimulated technology improvements to further reduce cost and improve capability (crystal sizes, shapes …). Yole Développement expects that ultimately, this will be favorable for the industry: lower price and improved crystal growth and finishing capabilities will open the door to a large gamut of new applications where sapphire has been considered for its performance but never adopted because of its cost.

eMemory, an embedded non-volatile memory (eNVM) provider, and United Microelectronics Corporation, a global semiconductor foundry, today announced an expanded technology cooperation to integrate eMemory’s one-time-programmable (OTP) and multiple-time-programmable (MTP) embedded non-volatile memory technologies into UMC’s 28nm process. The agreement will broaden the foundry’s specialty process portfolio that already includes a range of eMemory eNVM IP solutions from 0.18um and below.

eMemory President Dr. Rick Shen pointed out, "We are happy to take our important strategic partner UMC to a higher level. We stand by our core principles of ‘embedded wisely, embedded widely,’ as we incorporate our core technologies into UMC’s process platforms. This represents the integration of the strengths of both companies and will allow us to provide our IC design clients eNVM platforms that boast quality and reliability, thereby enabling them to stay ahead of the rest of the market."

eMemory’s eNVM technologies target a wide range of applications in mainstream consumer electronics, including power management ICs for smart phones and tablet computers, advanced LCD drivers, touch panel controllers, battery management, sensor controller, audio codec, and near field communications. The current silicon IP (SIP) include NeoBit, NeoFuse, NeoMTP, NeoFlash, and NeoEE, making eMemory the top provider in the industry for providing a full array of SIP products for both OTP and MTP eNVM technologies.

eMemory’s MTP technology can be applied for different product needs including <10 times programming, low-medium or medium-high densities with high endurance requirements, and multiple-time-programmable embedded non-volatile memory technology applications. Furthermore, the technologies are highly compatible with logic processes for different process generations, making eMemory an ideal partner for wafer foundries seeking seamless eNVM integration into their process platforms.

UMC is a global semiconductor foundry that provides advanced technology and manufacturing for applications spanning every major sector of the IC industry. UMC’s foundry solutions allow chip designers to leverage the company’s leading-edge processes, which include 28nm poly-SiON and gate-last High-K/Metal Gate technology, mixed signal/RFCMOS, and a wide range of specialty technologies. Production is supported through 10 wafer manufacturing facilities that include two advanced 300mm fabs; Fab 12A in Taiwan and Singapore-based Fab 12i. Fab 12A consists of Phases 1-4 which are in production for customer products down to 28nm. Construction is underway for Phases 5&6, with future plans for Phases 7&8. The company employs over 15,000 people worldwide and has offices in Taiwan, mainland China, Europe, Japan, Korea, Singapore, and the United States.

eMemory was established in August, 2000, and has focused on logic process eNVM silicon IP development. eMemory currently has about 200 employees.

 

Freescale Semiconductor, Ltd. appointed Krishnan Balasubramanian to its board of directors in May 2013.

Mr. Balasubramanian (known as Bala) brings more than 37 years experience in the semiconductor industry to his new role on Freescale’s board of directors. Bala currently serves on the board of MetroCorp Bancshares, Inc. and has previously served in a number of executive positions at Texas Instruments and has experience in manufacturing, technology development and business leadership.

“As an independent director, Bala brings a valuable outside perspective along with a deep understanding of the global semiconductor industry,” said Dan McCranie, Freescale’s chairman of the board.

“Bala’s experience with executive management supervision, regulatory matters and technological operations in the semiconductor industry makes him a welcome addition to our board,” said Gregg Lowe, Freescale’s president and CEO. “We look forward to his many contributions to the board.”

Freescale Semiconductor is a provider of embedded processing solutions. The company is based in Austin, Texas, and has design, research and development, manufacturing and sales operations around the world.

CEA-Leti announced today that researchers Dominique Vicard and Jean Brun received the Avantex Innovation Prize for the use of the E-Thread technology in textiles.

The award was presented June 10 during the award ceremony at the opening of the Techtextil and Avantex Symposia in Frankfurt, Germany.

According to Avantex, the “innovation awards go to outstanding achievements in research, new materials, products, technologies and applications.”

E-Thread is a microelectronic packaging technology developed by Leti that allows for a direct connection of a chip to a set of two conductors, which can provide the functions of antenna, power and/or data bus. This allows a 10x improvement in size, assembly time and reliability compared to classic microelectronic packaging. The E-Thread assembly can then be incorporated inside a yarn and used by the textile and plastic industries using standard production tools. Electronics such as LEDs, RFIDs or sensors can then be truly integrated in materials and objects.

In choosing this technology for the innovation award, the Avantex jury said “electronics integrated in textiles during the textile processing and not simply by adding the components in a last step will be a significant step forward.” The jury also said the prize was awarded to “this development, as it shows that research and development is also for the textile industry of vital importance and that it can lead to the creation of new companies.”

E-Thread is one of the technologies used within the European FP7 PASTA project (Platform for Advanced Smart Textile Application), and is the key technology asset of the Primo1D startup company, that will be created by Leti during the second half of 2013.

Vicard previously won a 40,000-euro startup award from OSEO, the French organization committed to supporting entrepreneurship, for proposing embedding electronic functions in textile yarns using the E-Thread technology.

Samples of E-Thread will be on display during the symposia, Hall 3.1, stand B11.

David DiPaola is managing director for DiPaola Consulting a company focused on engineering and management solutions for electromechanical systems, sensors and MEMS products.  A 17 year veteran of the field, he has brought many products from concept to production in high volume with outstanding quality.  His work in design and process development spans multiple industries including automotive, medical, industrial and consumer electronics.  He employs a problem solving based approach working side by side with customers from startups to multi-billion dollar companies.  David also serves as senior technical staff to The Richard Desich SMART Commercialization Center for Microsystems, is an authorized external researcher at The Center for Nanoscale Science and Technology at NIST and is a senior member of IEEE. Previously he has held engineering management and technical staff positions at Texas Instruments and Sensata Technologies, authored numerous technical papers, is a respected lecturer and holds 5 patents.  To learn more, please visit www.dceams.com.    

In the development of new MEMS products, the team is the most important factor.  Executive management and investors will always evaluate teams and will only take large risks with teams that have earned their trust. In response to a question, I asked Rich Templeton (CEO of Texas Instruments) regarding how he made the decision to invest in a new technology, a portion of his response highlighted the evaluation of and betting on teams. This is driven by the fact that it is actually quite common for engineers and entrepreneurs to lead multiple successful projects or startups over their career. With this in mind, let’s review the necessary attributes that make these engineers and entrepreneurs so successful in MEMS new product development. 

Integrity:  This is the foundation upon which all other attributes are built. Truthfulness, consistency and accuracy of one’s actions is of utmost importance, as without it you have nothing. This is not something that is exercised in part or stretched. It needs to embody who you are.        

Good Judgment: An equally important attribute to integrity is a person’s ability to exercise discernment. It’s the skill of knowing what information is needed to make a sound decision, how to efficiently gather that information, being decisive and achieving positive outcomes a significant portion of the time. It also entails the ability to lead when large gaps in information exist and managing the associated risk. Engineers who use good judgment only reevaluate decisions for change as new information becomes available. Furthermore, they study given information, decisions made and outcomes to hone this skill over time. 

Details: The details are what make products robust with ultra high reliability. A small detail can often make the difference in achieving or missing a specified performance target. For example, overlooking the use of a getter in a MEMS device with a vacuum cavity could result in output drift if materials out gas over time. Understanding the detailed physics of the problem at hand is also critically important. 

Ability to Learn: Technology and human understanding of complex systems continues to evolve. In order to be successful, a individual must have the desire and ability to learn as new information becomes available. The MEMS industry is constantly changing with CMOS and nanotechnology integration, smaller feature sizes, optimized processes, standardization, sensor fusion and more.  Those who are unwilling to learn from not only their work but the credible work of others will have difficultly producing competitive products.       

Problem Solving:  This is really a combination of proper methodology, attention to details and the ability to learn. Experts in a field that know the answer before they start, rarely solve problems. In running a design of experiments (DOE) of a MEMS sensor with a flip chip on flex laminated to a plastic substrate, pressure, time and heat were varied in a effort to eliminate voids in the laminate material and optimize process parameters. The first DOE resulted in multiple large voids over all parameters showing no noticeable trends. Through a methodology of identifying alternate factors and testing hypothesizes, it was then discovered that moisture impregnated in the plastic substrate and flex circuit itself was actually introducing voids in the laminate as it out gassed during the lamination process. Once the moisture was removed either through a prebake or proper material handling, the voids were no longer present. A subsequent DOE was completed including moisture as a factor and the process was optimized. In a confirmation experiment, the predicted worst-case process parameters resulted in large lamination voids and the optimized case demonstrated lamination with no voids and excellent adhesion.     

Motivation / Passion:  The drive behind peoples’ actions and its alignment with project goals are essential. Are they doing it because they love it and in essence it is a part of their DNA or is it simply a paycheck? Does the subject matter wake them up in the morning because they can’t wait to get started? Do their eyes light up, their voice become invigorated and their body language become expressive when they speak? Do off shoots of their passion migrate into their personal time off? These are some of the characteristics that highly motivated and passionate people display. I had the privilege of discussing entrepreneurism and leadership with Ray Stata, founder and chairman of Analog Devices, a few years ago. Through words and action, his passion is intertwined throughout ADI. When their MEMS division was starting out and encountering difficultly, he showed his commitment to the business by becoming the general manager. He figured the company would not fire the founder although they could. In his spare time, he continues to show his entrepreneurial spirit as he lives vicariously through his investments in and mentoring of technology startups. Everyone I have spoken to at ADI speaks highly of him. Mr. Stata is an excellent example of the type of person you want on your team.

Creativity:  The ability to think in new ways is extremely important. It’s having the wherewithal to take an idea that appears crazy at the time and figuring out a way to make it work and provide a competitive advantage. Devices that provide outstanding function and have an elegant, eye-pleasing package with a captivating yet easy to use interface exude creativity. An example of creatively in action is the first generation Apple iPhone. When it was first released, it revolutionized the smart phone approach and the smart phone leader at the time is still recovering after large market share loss. 

Experience: When looking at job descriptions, the top requirement is often education level. This approach is not robust. Let me explain. If you were going to launch a MEMS device in production and wanted to hire an engineer, who would you choose: 1) A person with a bachelor’s degree in physics who launched several profitable MEMS products in millions of units per year successfully or 2) a person with a PhD in the subject matter of interest and an MBA with little industry experience? This is hypothetical, but it illustrates a point. Education is extremely important, but the method through which it is obtained is less critical and can take many forms. The CEO of Tumblr dropped out of high school in his freshman year because his school system had a weak computer science program. Instead he and his parents agreed for him to pursue his education through alternative, more productive channels. As recently highlighted in the news, he just sold his company for $1.1 billion to Yahoo. He cites that he worked with and learned a tremendous amount from the smart people he surrounded himself with.      

Persistence: The quality of steadily continuing despite difficult challenges along the way is a necessary characteristic of all accomplished engineers. People who are persistence are often mislabeled as stubborn. The key difference is persistent people listen to good reason and are cooperative. However, being cooperative does not mean going along with the direction from those in authority that logical reason and data shows is the wrong path. Instead staying the course and using influential communication with supporting data and analysis to gain needed support is a better approach.      

Communication:  Proper communication is not only used to transfer information but also to persuade doubters with good reason. This is an essential skill for interaction with customers, colleagues, investors and management. An engineer with good communication skills can explain a complex problem in a well-articulated, concise and simplified manner without skipping critical details. In the end, the listener understands what was accomplished, how it was done, critical details and the resulting impact of the project. 

Influence:  Individuals in MEMS new product development will encounter resistance from various people along the way. This could be from management, investors or colleagues. Hence the ability of individuals to affect the thinking and actions of others through sound reasoning, credible data, persistence and convincing plans is necessary to bring MEMS products to fruition. For many years, there were critics who stated that standards for MEMS will never happen. Instead of accepting the status quo, engineers from Intel and Qualcomm with the support of MIG and other companies worked together to produce the first MEMS standard on sensor parameters. These actions are now influencing the MEMS community to accept that maybe some level of standardization is possible and beneficial. 

Risk Tolerance: New product development and higher levels of risk go hand in hand. Engineers who take on this challenge, need to have a greater tolerance for this risk and be able to manage it. The key benefit of higher risk is the larger reward that is typically associated with it. With any new product development, there is always the possibility for cancellation, low adoption, project delays and insufficient funding. However, building teams on the principles above is the first step to lowering risk.      

Other Points to Consider:  When choosing a team leader, vision is another important factor to consider. Leaders with vision have the foresight to see the potential in an idea before it exists.  Not all team members have to be visionaries but it is important that trust is built between those who have it and those who don’t. In addition, carefully consider the chemistry when building a team. Having proper technical and business depth, meshing personalities and clear leadership is extremely important.

The team is essential for success in any MEMS new product development. Focusing on the key attributes mentioned above will help companies hire the best individuals for MEMS new product development. In next month’s blog, proper execution of MEMS validation will be discussed.   

Fujitsu Laboratories Limited has launched millimeter-wave transceiver based on gallium-nitride high-electron mobility transistor (GaN HEMT). The device operates at frequencies up to the millimeter-wave band and features an output of 10W.

Until now, developing high-output modules that operate in the millimeter-wave band have required modules consisting of separately packaged components to allow for sufficient heat dissipation. As a result, it has been difficult to produce compact modules. In addition, because the occurrence of signal loss tends to increase in internal module terminal connector components at higher frequencies, reaching millimeter-wave operations has proved to be challenging.

The new high-output millimeter-wave transceiver module developed by Fujitsu uses a heat sink embedded with multi-layer ceramic technology capable of efficiently dissipating heat. Through its unique architecture that reduces signal loss occurring in internal terminal connector components, the transceiver module can achieve millimeter-wave operations. With dimensions of 12mm × 36mm × 3.3mm, the new module measures less than one-twentieth the size of a conventional combined unit.

Using the new technology, it is possible to combine multiple chips within a single unit, thereby enabling the development of more compact radar devices and wireless communications equipment.

Fujitsu Laboratories plans to put this technology to use in a wide range of applications that require compact modules with high output across wide bandwidths, including wireless devices and radar systems.

Building on its extensive microscope lineup, KEYENCE Corporation has released a new multipurpose microscope. The VHX-700F allows users to leverage some of the advanced functions of the VHX Series, such as Depth Composition and 3D Display, while offering the same image quality and primary measurement capabilities at a lower price point.

The VHX-700F incorporates observation, measurement, and image recording capabilities into a single device, while offering all of the imaging techniques found in traditional inspection equipment. The microscope boasts a 0.1x – 5,000x magnification range and provides bright field, dark field, and transmitted illumination. Additional attachments offer polarized, diffused, and DIC imaging methods. Users can also inspect inside of small openings with a complete lineup of borescopes and fiberscopes.

By combining the technology generally found in stereoscopic, metallurgical, measurement, and scanning electron microscopes, the VHX-700F is able to accentuate the strengths of these systems while avoiding many of their limitations. Not only can images be captured entirely in focus with the exceptionally large depth-of-field, but a variety of measurements can be completed directly on the image with just a click of the mouse. A multi-angle stand is paired with a rotating stage to allow 360 degree views without the need to fixture or manipulate the sample, and the camera easily detaches for handheld, non-destructive imaging of larger parts.

Silicon Labs, a provider of high-performance, analog-intensive, mixed-signal ICs, today announced that it has signed a definitive agreement to acquire Energy Micro AS. Based in Oslo, Norway, the late-stage privately held company offers the industry’s most power-efficient portfolio of 32-bit microcontrollers (MCUs) and is developing multi-protocol wireless RF solutions based on the industry-leading ARM Cortex-M architecture. Energy Micro’s energy-friendly MCU and radio solutions are designed to enable a broad range of power-sensitive applications for the Internet of Things (IoT), smart energy, home automation, security and portable electronics markets.

The growth of the IoT market, coupled with continued deployment of smart grid and smart energy infrastructure, is driving strong demand for energy-efficient processing and wireless connectivity technology to enable connected devices in which low-power capabilities are increasingly important. Industry experts predict that the number of connected devices for the IoT will top 15 billion nodes by 2015 and reach 50 billion nodes by 2020.

“Silicon Labs and Energy Micro share a complementary vision of a greener, smarter, wirelessly connected world, and the foundation for this combined vision is ultra-low-power technology enabled by each company’s innovative mixed-signal design,” said Tyson Tuttle, president and CEO of Silicon Labs. “This acquisition combines two proven leaders in nano-power MCU and wireless SoC design into a formidable force that will accelerate the deployment of energy-friendly solutions across the Internet of Things and smart energy industries.”

The company expects the addition of Energy Micro’s EFM32 Gecko MCUs and EFR Draco Radios, ultra-low-power technology expertise, energy-aware Simplicity development tools, and world-class design and applications teams will drive the rapid expansion of its Broad-based business. Silicon Labs intends to apply these complementary embedded technology platforms and expertise to enable the industry’s most energy-efficient solutions for the burgeoning IoT and smart energy markets, as well as the proliferation of battery-powered portable electronics devices. In addition, both companies’ 32-bit MCU and wireless products leverage the same ARM Cortex-M architecture, which is expected to accelerate the combined roadmap and support rapid adoption among the existing customer base.

“The Energy Micro team is excited to join Silicon Labs,” said Geir Førre, president and CEO of Energy Micro, who after the closing, is expected to become vice president and general manager of Silicon Lab’s Energy-Friendly Microcontroller and Radio business unit, based in Oslo. “Silicon Labs’ excellent resources and technology will help the combined company develop new products and gain market share more quickly.”

Olympus this week announced the release of the LEXT OLS4100 laser confocal microscope system. Designed to deliver nanometer-level imaging, accurate 3D measurement, and outstanding surface roughness analysis, the OLS4100 features auto brightness and a new high-speed stitching mode.

 

Engineered to meet a growing demand for increased measurement precision and wider observation applicability, the OLS4100 offers advanced measurement performance at ten-nanometer resolution with a variety of user-friendly performance parameters. Thanks to high numerical apertures and a dedicated optical system that obtains maximum performance from a 405 nm laser, the OLS4100 can reliably measure acute-angled samples that were previously impossible to measure.

“Widely used in quality control, research, and development across an array of industries and applications, OLYMPUS LEXT laser microscopes set a new standard in 3D laser microscopy,” said Matt Smith, Olympus director of sales and marketing. “Today, with the LEXT OLS4100, Olympus is once again raising the bar with a new level of precision and ease of use.”

The OLS4100’s auto brightness setting is part of an automatic 3D image acquisition system that allows even first-time users to quickly acquire 3D images with the click of a button, greatly reducing image acquisition time. A new high-speed stitching mode allows the user to specify target areas from wider-area stitched images. 

The OLS4100 employs a dual confocal system that, when combined with its high-sensitivity detector, enables the capture of clear images from samples consisting of materials with different reflectance characteristics. In addition to the laser image, the OLS4100 uses a white LED light and a high-color-fidelity CCD camera to generate clear, natural-looking color imagery comparable with that obtained with high-grade optical microscopes. This color image can be overlaid upon the 3D laser image for a 3D representation of your sample.

The OLS4100’s new multilayer mode is capable of recognizing the peaks of reflected light intensities of multiple sample layers and setting each layer as a focal point, making it possible to observe and measure the upper and lower surfaces of a sample with a transparent coating. This multilayer mode also facilitates the observation and measurement of multiple layers of transparent materials.

Calibrated in the same way as contact surface roughness gauges, the OLS4100 represents a new level of surface roughness measuring and adheres to the necessary roughness parameters and filters required per ISO and JQA. This allows users with contact surface roughness gauges to obtain output results from the OLS4100 consistent with their existing instruments, with the advantage of greater speed and non-contact measurement.

Engineered with easy operation in mind, the OLS4100 facilitates a systematic workflow through an intuitive interface that allows even novice users to quickly master measurement procedures. A wide range of measurement modes are available, each designed to efficiently enable specific analysis results. No pre-processing of samples is necessary.