submicrometric

Submicrometric is an adjective used to describe objects or features whose characteristic dimensions are smaller than one micrometer (µm). It is a relative descriptor rather than a precise unit, and it is commonly used in fields such as materials science, colloid chemistry, microscopy, and microfabrication to distinguish small-scale features from larger, micrometer-scale structures.

The submicrometric regime spans roughly from tens of nanometers up to just under 1 µm. It is broad enough to include nanoparticles, submicrometer particles, pores, surface roughness features, and thin films with thicknesses in this range.

Measurement and characterization of submicrometric objects rely on high-resolution techniques. Electron microscopes (transmission and scanning), atomic force microscopy, and near-field optical methods provide direct imaging at submicrometric scales, while dynamic light scattering and other scattering-based methods can estimate sizes of suspension particles down to tens of nanometers in some cases.

In nanotechnology and microfabrication, submicrometric features are common in older lithography and some novel approaches seeking to reach nanometer-scale patterns; the term is often used to bridge micro- and nano-scale discussion and to emphasize features that are small but not necessarily sub-100 nm.

See also micrometer, nanometer, nanoscale.