Researched
Abbe's Image Theory (Zeiss)
Ernst Abbe shows (1873) that a microscope image is formed by diffraction and that the smallest detail depends on wavelength and numerical aperture.
Open in the interactive tree →Abbe worked with Carl Zeiss in Jena and replaced trial-and-error lens making with calculation. His resolution limit, about wavelength divided by twice the aperture, is the same law that governs how fine a chip pattern can be printed.
Prerequisites
Unlocks
- Optical Glass (Schott & Abbe)1884
- Wafer Stepper~1978
- EUV Lithography2019Abbe's resolution limit is why a shorter wavelength prints finer lines
- 2 nm Chips & High-NA EUV2025Resolution scales with wavelength over numerical aperture; High-NA raises NA