Optical microscopy techniques

determining the grain size

Abstract

The technique of optical microscopy allows inspections of common and important engineering materials, allowing the observation of the structure of the same. After the invention of the optical microscope, many other models were improved to a wide variety of applications, ranging from biology to, more recently, microelectronics. The progress of science and engineering has allowed the production of high precision and convenient optical instruments for those who use them. In the verification of products, the microscope helps the human vision inspect the standards of semiconductors layers and in the manufacturing of integrated circuits and microelectronic devices of all kinds. It is a necessary tool for the verification and measurement of structures that are produced on the surface of the layers that form these devices. It is in that context that optical microscopy techniques fall. The predominant micro structural characteristic for many engineering materials is a granular structure in which each grain is a region with a remarkable crystal orientation. The grain size (G) is used to quantify the microstructure. Thus, the main objective of this study is to familiarize with the optical microscopy technique, as well as with preparation of samples for determining the grain size of crystalline materials through optical microscopy.