November Luncheon Meeting (Goleta) 11/08/17

What the heck is that? Using a microscopic mirage to chemically identify and map materials

Anasys Instruments recently introduced a new instrument that performs chemical analysis on the microscopic scale. The instrument uses infrared spectroscopy, which generates a signal that acts as a fingerprint to identify the material being studied. It rapidly acquires infrared spectra on a length scale 10-1000x smaller than conventional infrared instruments, revealing details that were invisible to previous infrared microscopes.

With this capability, researchers can visualize the chemical makeup of complex materials. This instrument is leading to exciting applications in areas that will touch our lives in many ways--new materials for autos, consumer electronics, food, biomedical research, health care and beauty products.

Dr. Craig Prater is the Chief Technical Officer at Anasys Instruments. He was previously the Chief Technologist for Veeco Metrology, responsible for new technology and intellectual property. He led the development of automated AFMs which enabled widespread use in semiconductor and data storage fabrication facilities. Crais was recognized in 2005 as the first Technology Fellow at Veeco Instruments, the highest technical rank in the organization. In addition to technical responsibilities, he managed an IP portfolio of over 100 patents. Craig has over 25 issued patents and more than 50 scientific publications with a total of more than 5000 citations. Craig has a PhD in Physics from UCSB.