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Surface Roughness Evaluation of Memory Cards


Micron-scale shape measurement using a laser microscope

Memory card
Memory card

(1) Application

Memory cards vary in size and are widely used as storage media for digital cameras, cell phones, recorders, etc. The cards are inserted into slots on these devices, and the card’s surface roughness affects the smoothness of insertion. Because the cards’ surface roughness contributes to their commercial value, it is an important measurement criterion in quality control. Quality control using conventional roughness testers may have measurement limitations because these testers require contact with the surface being tested and typically only measure height (roughness) along a single line of motion.

(2) Solution

The Olympus LEXT OLS5000 3D scanning laser microscope enables high-resolution and high-precision 3D profile measurement without contacting the examined surface. It enables users to obtain clear, high-resolution images using a confocal optical system. The system uses three-dimensional roughness parameters that comply with ISO 25178, enabling contactless surface-area evaluation. Its wide surface evaluation is more suitable for seemingly random irregularities and provides more measurement information than conventional roughness testers that measure along a single line. The OLS5000 microscope includes the standard auto stage function that facilitates data acquisition of multiple points on the surface by registering measurement coordinates and using the imaging stitching function.

Images

(1) Sample A (Objective: 20X. Effective field of vision: 640 µm)

Measurement point 1

Measurement point 1

Measurement point 2

Measurement point 2

Measurement point 3

Measurement point 3

Parameter Sq [µm] Sa [µm] Sz [µm] Sku [µm]
Point 1 3.5 2.897 26.501 2.518
Point 2 3.766 3.033 30.446 2.966
Point 3 3.626 2.955 25.5 2.741
Average 3.631 2.962 27.482 2.742
Standard deviation 0.133 0.068 2.615 0.224


(2) Sample B (Objective: 20X. Effective field of vision: 640 µm)

Measurement point 1

Measurement point 1

Measurement point 2

Measurement point 2

Measurement point 3

Measurement point 3

Parameter Sq [µm] Sa [µm] Sz [µm] Sku [µm]
Point 1 1.608 1.259 17.946 3.833
Point 2 1.579 1.241 18.158 3.86
Point 3 1.646 1.296 22.166 3.936
Average 1.611 1.265 19.423 3.876
Standard deviation 0.034 0.028 2.378 0.053
Olympus IMS

Products Used for This Application

The LEXT™ OLS5100 laser scanning microscope combines exceptional accuracy and optical performance with smart tools that make the system easy to use. The tasks of precisely measuring shape and surface roughness at the submicron level are fast and efficient, simplifying your workflow and delivering high-quality data you can trust.

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