Square Microns
Abbreviation/Symbol:
µm2
Unit of:
Worldwide use:
Square micron is another name for the square micrometer (µm²). A square millimeter contains 1,000,000 of them.
Definition:
The square micron is derived from the base unit of length, the meter, and the prefix "micro," which denotes one millionth. One square micron is equal to one millionth of a square meter or 10-12 square meters.
Origin:
The square micron (μm²) is the area of a square one micron on each side, so a square millimeter holds 1,000,000 of them. It is used for areas seen under a microscope, such as cells and particles.
Usage context:
Square microns and square micrometers are the same thing – the micron is an old name for the micrometer – so the conversions are identical. One square micron is 10⁻¹² square meters.
In semiconductor design, the footprint of a transistor or memory cell is given in square microns, and the area of the whole die in square millimeters. A 1 mm² die has a million square microns.
Microscope image-analysis software reports the area of cells and particles in square microns: a round cell 10 microns across covers about 79 square microns.