Thin films or materials which are translucent or transparent are commonly applied to metallic or semi-conductor substrates.  These materials leave a reflective or semi-reflective surface underneath the image making them difficult to image.  These variations in thickness affect the ability to document thin films and manufactured materials with either optical or electron imaging.

Differential Interference Color (DIC) Imaging is an effective alternative imaging method, accentuating differences in thickness, density, or optical index in a sample.  This imaging is performed by analyzing interference colors produced by destructive interference from two similarly aligned beams in an optical microscope.  This enhances and highlights subtle features with brilliant color gradients, which are then captured with our high resolution digital cameras.