U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Official websites use .gov
A .gov website belongs to an official government organization in the United States.

Secure .gov websites use HTTPS
A lock ( ) or https:// means you’ve safely connected to the .gov website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites.

Metrology

Dimensional metrology

News and Updates

artifact

Back to the Future: Gear Edition

As mechanical objects, gears have been around for so long that people may take them for granted. But gears are sophisticated parts that play a vital role in

Blog Posts

View from the back of a darkened movie theater shows the heads of the audience and a screen reading: Measurement in the Movies.

Measurement in the Movies

Read more
Title card reads "A Scientific Christmas Tale" with the NIST logo in a wreath and flashing holiday lights.

A Scientific Christmas Tale

Read more
A white telescope dish is surrounded by wooded mountains in autumn colors.

In Case You Missed It From NIST: 2021 Edition

Read more

Events

Projects and Programs

Microplastic and Nanoplastic Metrology

Ongoing
The Micro and Nanoplastic (MNP) Metrology Project aims to develop a toolbox of methods for size-based separations from complex matrices, chemical characterization protocols, and test materials necessary to enable quantification of micro- and nano-sized plastic particles, a need articulated by our
block

SI Length and Traceability

Ongoing
Laser interferometry, which measures distances in terms of light wavelength, provides the backbone of top-level length metrology in industry and science. This project develops techniques to facilitate the tie between interferometer-based length measurements and the SI definition of length (in terms
Picture of PBD set up for wavelength measurement

Diffraction Metrology and Standards

Ongoing
Diffraction techniques can provide data on a number of sample characteristics. Therefore, the method of certification and the artifact itself are chosen to address a specific measurement issue pertinent to a diffraction experiment. NIST diffraction SRMs may be divided into five groups: Line Position

Additive Manufacturing Part Qualification

Completed
Objective To develop and deploy test methods and protocols, standard test artifacts, exemplar data, data processing tools, and automation tools that create robust post-process measurements and non-destructive testing to enable qualification of AM parts by manufacturers. What is the Problem? To

Publications

Lab-based multi-wavelength EUV diffractometry for critical dimension metrology

Author(s)
Bryan Barnes, Aaron Chew, Nicholas Jenkins, Yunzhe Shao, Martin Sohn, Regis Kline, Daniel Sunday, Purnima Balakrishnan, Thomas Germer, Steven Grantham, Clay Klein, Stephanie Moffitt, Eric Shirley, Henry Kapteyn, MARGARET MURNANE
Background: The industry is developing extreme-ultraviolet wavelength (EUV) techniques to measure critical dimensions (CDs) in logic fabrication. As nascent

Detection limits of AI-based SEM dimensional metrology

Author(s)
Peter Bajcsy, Brycie Wiseman, Michael Paul Majurski, Andras Vladar
The speed of in-line scanning electron microscope (SEM) measurements of linewidth, contact hole, and overlay is critically important for identifying the

Tools and Instruments

Laser Doppler Vibrometer located in 218/D012 (Group 643.09)

Laser Doppler Vibrometer Microscope

Since 2006, the Nanomechanical Properties Group has pioneered the use of Laser Doppler Vibrometry (LDV) to calibrate the stiffness of AFM cantilevers using the
Examples of work in the Precision Imaging Facility.  (a) STEM image of a crack (dislocation) formed during growth of an AlGaN shell around a GaN nanowire, and (b) FIB fabrication of an AFM tip with a GaN nanowire contact point.

Precision Imaging Facility

The Precision Imaging Facility (PIF) is a cooperative research facility at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) dedicated to the