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The researchers have also successfully measured nonspecular scattering in grazing-incidence optics, such as those used in synchrotron research. The characterization of advanced optics is key to new developments in fields where those optics are used, since the quality of an optic can severely limit the performance of a system. In EUV lithography, for example, high contrast is needed to produce a sharply defined line on a microchip. Nonspecular scattering washes out contrast, limiting how narrow a line can be produced. This, in turn, limits how much circuitry can be placed on a given size chip.