MEMS and Nanotechnology ClearinghouseAn information resource for the MEMS and Nanotechnology development community hosted by the MEMS and Nanotechnology Exchange, the nation's leading provider of high-quality foundry and consulting services
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| Abrasive | A hard and wear-resistant material (such as a ceramic) used to wear, grind, or cut away other material. |
| Accuracy | The degree of correctness with which the measuring system yields the "true value" of a measured quantity, where the"true value" refers to an accepted standard, such as a standard meter or volt. Typically described in terms of a maximum percentage of deviation expected based on a full-scale reading. |
| Affinity | A thermodynamic measurement of the strength of binding between molecules, say between an antibody and antigen. Each antibody/antigen pair has an association constant, Ka, expressed in L/mol. |
| Algorithm | A set of well-defined mathematical rules or operations for solving a problem in a finite number of steps. |
| AM 1 | The air mass 1 spectrum of a light source is equivalent to that of sunlight at the earth's surface when the sun is at zenith. |
| Ampere (amp) [A] | Measure of electric current: 1A = 1 coulomb/second. |
| Amperometric Sensor | Amperometric sensors involve a heterogeneous electron transfer as a result of an oxidation/reduction of an electro-active species at a sensing electrode surface. A current is measured at a certain imposed voltage of the sensing electrode with respect to the reference electrode. Analytical information is obtained from the current-concentration relationship at that given applied potential. |
| Analyte | A chemical species targeted for qualitative or quantitative analysis. |
| Angstrom [Å] | Measure of length: 1 Å= 1x10-10 m. |
| Anisotropic | Exhibiting different values of a property in different crystallographic directions. |