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Nano-Vitruvian Man

A pioneering fabrication technique developed by NPL and the University of Surrey can mill 3D profiles with unrivalled accuracy.

Vitruman Filed
This image of Leonardo da Vinci's Vitruvian Man
is milled into a piece of silicon by a focused ion
beam instrument and is 15 µm in diameter  This new technique is capable of milling structures on the nanometer scale in all three dimensions. The ability to control the accuracy in the z-direction, offers a clear advantage over existing alternative techniques.

The technique opens up a range of possible device applications, particularly in the field of optics and calibration standards for microscopy.

Watch a video of the Vitruvian Man being milled here

For further information. please contact David Cox

Published: 11 Jan 2010

Last Updated: 1 Feb 2011
Created: 1 Feb 2011

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