Abstract
Industrial inspectors are becoming more dependant on the stereoscopic microscope for detecting microminiature defects in electronic components. The present study investigated the effect of magnification on the detection of scratch defects in the etching of printed circuit boards. Ten subjects were tested under 3 levels of magnification (10x, 16x and 30x) with the time for each view adjusted so that the total viewing time remained constant. Results showed a significant increase in inspector sensitivity (d') at the 30x magnification level. Inspector sensitivity in the 10x and 16x conditions was not significantly different. These results suggest that improvements in inspector performance through magnification are possible without increasing inspection time.
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