Skip to main content
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.

Disc-Scanning Confocal Microscope

Disc-Scanning Confocal Microscope
Credit: NIST

The Nanofocus™ µsurf disc-scanning confocal microscope is a 3D surface topography measurement instrument. Its primary purpose is to collect firearm toolmark measurements for the R&D efforts in the Forensic Toolmark Analysis Project (FTAP). Measurements originating from this instrument were also utilized in NIST SRM2461 Standard Cartridge Case certification.

Surface texture calibrations where non-contact measurements of smooth surfaces are required have been conducted using this microscope. The Surface and Interface Metrology Group also has specialized software (Mountains Map V7) to conduct calculations of surface texture parameters (B46.1) and surface contour parameters.

Related Program Area

NIST Forensic Science Focus Area – Firearms and Toolmarks

Specifications/Capabilities

High speed 16-bit digital camera module HDR

1200 px x 1200 px at 100 fps

Stage Travel (X x Y): 100 mm x 100 mm

Objective

NA

Field of View

Lateral Pixel Spacing

Sq (Noise Floor)

10 X

0.2

1600 µm x 1600 µm

1.33 µm / px

< 10 nm

20 X

0.4

800 µm x 800 µm

0.67 µm / px

< 5 nm

20 XS

0.6

800 µm x 800 µm

0.67 µm / px

< 5 nm

50 X

0.85

320 µm x 320 µm

0.27 µm / px

< 1 nm

 

Created March 7, 2025