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3-D Surface Profilometry

Definition

A non-contact optical measurement technique used to quantify the topographic height (Z-height) of intaglio ink ridges; genuine MGNS intaglio measures 15-40 micrometres; inkjet simulants reach 5-8 micrometres.

Related terms

365 Nm UV Lamp
A long-wave ultraviolet lamp used to examine substrate fluorescence, security thread UV response, and UV-reactive features on banknotes; genuine cotton-linen substrate appears...
Bleached-Genuine Counterfeit
A counterfeit produced by chemically removing the printed design from a genuine lower-denomination note and reprinting it as a higher denomination; passes...
Counterfeit Currency Database (CCD)
The US Secret Service's classification registry of counterfeit production signatures, assigning class codes to each distinct printing-process and denomination combination detected in...
CVPC (Currency Verification Processing Centre)
An RBI-designated facility in India where banks submit suspect notes for initial authentication and classification before forensic referral.
FTIR Spectroscopy (Fourier Transform Infrared)
A non-destructive analytical technique that measures infrared absorption as a function of wavenumber, producing a spectrum diagnostic of the chemical functional groups...
Iodine-Starch Test
The chemical basis of the counterfeit-detector pen: iodine reacts with starch in wood-pulp paper to form a dark blue-black complex, while genuine...
Raman Spectroscopy
A non-destructive laser-based technique sensitive to molecular vibration modes in pigments; complements FTIR by characterising pigment molecular structure rather than bulk ink...
SEM-EDX (Scanning Electron Microscopy with Energy-Dispersive X-Ray Analysis)
A technique combining high-resolution surface imaging with elemental composition analysis; used to compare metallic-flake elemental ratios in OVI ink and to measure...
Supernote
A high-quality counterfeit capable of passing casual field examination; originally applied to US $100 counterfeits attributed to state-sponsored production with genuine cotton-linen...

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