Orloff is known for his major fields of research in charged particle optics, applications of field emission processes, high-brightness electron and ion sources, focused ion and electron beams and their applications for micromachining, surface analysis and microscopy and instrumentation development for semiconductor device manufacturing.
Between degrees, he did experimental nuclear physics at the University of Pittsburgh, and worked for a small company beginning in 1970 that was attempting to market a transmission electron microscope with electrostatic lenses.
During his time at OGC he developed high resolution focused ion beam (FIB) technology, and did optics design for FEI Company, of which he was the fourth partner, and where he also sat on the board of directors.
Orloff was a professor at the University of Maryland, College Park in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering from 1993 until his retirement in 2006.
[2] He has authored or co-authored more than 80 publications, including a Scientific American article and the books Handbook of Charged Particle Optics, of which he is the editor, and High Resolution Focused Ion Beams, with L.W.