Gone are the days of counting with the abacus and completing complex measurements with mundane tools. Technology pushes us forward faster and faster.

Metrology devices come in enough shapes and sizes to dazzle the mind. What used to take months to complete, if completed at all, can now be done to the most accurate percentile possible. Taking the seemingly abstract and barely quantifiable breadth of human activity and whittling it down to basic measurement, metrology services allow us to take control over our lives. It’s how we’re able to turn on a computer and enjoy high-definition media. It’s how we can run to the store and buy the very best tool sets on a whim.

What do metrology companies do and how do they do it? That’s what we’re exploring today.

Before we go into the everyday applications metrology services help create, let’s go a step further and piece together some terms. Ellipsometry is a technique used by several scientific and engineering plants today to analyze the everyday materials we need to maintain high-quality products. It can help designers and manufacturers alike figure out a material’s thickness, roughness, and conductivity, among other things. Simply eyeballing and hoping for the best doesn’t cut it.

It’s easy to take for granted a lot of the materials we come into contact with. We pick up a pack of batteries on our way out of the store to fill up our remote controls. We regularly look through cell phone and computer screens that are designed through a careful mixture of mathematics and human oversight. Manufacturing plants today are designed to reduce the probability of human error to an almost alarming degree, though it’s far from flawless. Experienced workers are still needed to make sure each and every product reaches standard.

With ellipsometry it gets even more particular. Even the way light moves through an object can change whether or not it’s good enough to pass production. Optical devices, from lenses on cameras to screens, need to be able to break down light in a very particular way. Failing to do this right can result in photos that come out strangely or colors that don’t look quite right. AFM analysis of thin films is an entire niche that’s dedicated to providing the best in services and product. This includes white light scanning and generalized ellipsometry.

Thickness may seem easier to measure, but even this comes with its own set of particulars. Firstly, thickness is still best done through precise equations, all the better to help manufacturing plants produce the same quality thousands of times in a row. Secondly, failing to provide the right thickness for complex technology can affect its performance and even lead to it failing entirely. Yes, ellipsometry can seem like magic at times. It’s nothing, however, more than a potent combination of math and science.

Now for some review. Ellipsometry is generally used to fine tune devices that rely on lens and optics to function. It uses a combination of math and engineering to create the powerful results you see today. Manufacturing companies and designers alike rely on metrology devices to ensure they’re never off the mark, which can run the risk of destroying the integrity of the product and ruining customer faith. Analysis is also a major function, allowing scientists to get to the bottom of a task and truly understand what makes it tick. It’s not at all forward to suggest spectral ellipsometry runs the world.

Technology is a boon, but a boon that needs to be maintained. Metrology services are more than up for the task.