A Stronger FDA: What Does It Mean for You?
The FDA, like the IRS or the DMV, is one of those governmental agencies that by its very nature can inspire many with at least a hint of dread. For one thing, it can often seem that they are only heard from when something bad is happening (that is, you haven't paid your taxes, you haven't paid a speeding ticket . . . or there is an inspection of your facility on the way).
The FDA, like the IRS or the DMV, is one of those governmental agencies that by its very nature can inspire many with at least a hint of dread. For one thing, it can often seem that they are only heard from when something bad is happening (that is, you haven't paid your taxes, you haven't paid a speeding ticket . . . or there is an inspection of your facility on the way).
David Walsh
Here at Spectroscopy, we leave the politics of the "Bush FDA" versus the "Obama FDA" to others, and instead focus on what is currently happening and how it impacts the laboratories and the daily work of our readers. In other words, we try to answer the question, "What does it all mean for me?" With this in mind, columnist Bob McDowall, one of the foremost experts on not only the FDA and its policies and regulations, but compliance in general, presents his take on the recent FDA Modernization Act and the posture of the FDA and its new commissioner, Margaret Hamburg, in general. Admittedly, the title of his column gives away his point of view to a large degree, as "The Tiger Has Sharp New Teeth" tells you where he thinks the FDA is headed. Tougher enforcement, shorter compliance times, and more appear to be on deck, but as always, Bob has answers and advice on how to succeed in this new environment. For whether you believe tougher regulation and enforcement is a good thing or a bad thing, the fact is that the laboratories of many readers will be forced to confront the coming changes regardless.
At Spectroscopy, we have always made it our mission to bring readers practical, nuts-and-bolts information to help them in their daily work, and this column, aimed at those on the frontlines of materials analysis, is just one more example of this mission in action. We hope you find this column and the other columns and technical research in this issue useful, and as always, feel free to contact myself or any one of our staff members at the e-mail addresses listed.
Enjoy the issue.
David Walsh
Editor-in-Chief
Getting accurate IR spectra on monolayer of molecules
April 18th 2024Creating uniform and repeatable monolayers is incredibly important for both scientific pursuits as well as the manufacturing of products in semiconductor, biotechnology, and. other industries. However, measuring monolayers and functionalized surfaces directly is. difficult, and many rely on a variety of characterization techniques that when used together can provide some degree of confidence. By combining non-contact atomic force microscopy (AFM) and IR spectroscopy, IR PiFM provides sensitive and accurate analysis of sub-monolayer of molecules without the concern of tip-sample cross contamination. Dr. Sung Park, Molecular Vista, joined Spectroscopy to provide insights on how IR PiFM can acquire IR signature of monolayer films due to its unique implementation.
Deep Level Transient Spectroscopy Reveals Influence of Defects on 2D Semiconductor Devices
April 25th 2024A recent study used deep level transient spectroscopy to investigate the electrical response of defect filling and emission in monolayer metal-organic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD)-grown materials deposited on complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor (CMOS)-compatible substrates.
