Single-chip mechatronic microsystem for surface imaging and force response studies (original) (raw)
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Design of an atomic force microscope and first results
Surface Science, 1987
We present a design of an atomic force microscope (AFM) which allows easy accessibility to the sample, the force sensing tip and lever, and the tunneling tip in order to study these components in detail. Force sensing tip and lever are made from one piece of a metallic glass with an integrated electrochemically etched tip. Measurements in air show a good reproducibility. Monatomic steps were resolved on highly oriented pyrolytic graphite (HOPG).
Characteristics and Functionality of Cantilevers and Scanners in Atomic Force Microscopy
Materials
In this paper, we provide a systematic review of atomic force microscopy (AFM), a fast-developing technique that embraces scanners, controllers, and cantilevers. The main objectives of this review are to analyze the available technical solutions of AFM, including the limitations and problems. The main questions the review addresses are the problems of working in contact, noncontact, and tapping AFM modes. We do not include applications of AFM but rather the design of different parts and operation modes. Since the main part of AFM is the cantilever, we focused on its operation and design. Information from scientific articles published over the last 5 years is provided. Many articles in this period disclose minor amendments in the mechanical system but suggest innovative AFM control and imaging algorithms. Some of them are based on artificial intelligence. During operation, control of cantilever dynamic characteristics can be achieved by magnetic field, electrostatic, or aerodynamic f...
A New Microdevice for SI-Traceable Forces in Atomic Force Microscopy
A new self-excited micro-oscillator is proposed as a velocity standard for dissemination of nanonewton-level forces that are traceable to the International System of Units (SI). The microfabricated oscillator is top-coated with magnetic thin films and closely surrounded with conductive microwires to enable both magnetic sensing and actuation. An analog control system will keep the actuation side of the device oscillating sinusoidally with a frequency up to 200 kHz and a nanometerlevel amplitude that is fairly insensitive to the quality factor. Consequently, the device can be calibrated as a velocity standard in air and used in ultra-high vacuum with a velocity shift of less than one percent. Because of the nanometer-level oscillation amplitude, the microdevice could be used to probe capacitance gradients near tips of cantilevers used for atomic force microscopy (AFM). Hence, the calibrated micro-oscillator could be used with electrostatic forces to calibrate AFM cantilevers as SI-traceable force transducers for fundamental metrology of electrical and mechanical nanoscale quantities.
Atomic force microscopy is a convenient and exceptionally rich source of information about materials on the nano-scale. The instrument can be configured to operate in a large number of modes. The main task of AFM is to produce reliable and repeatable measurement of surface and intermolecular forces, which are needed for surface analysis and provide plentiful of information regarding other features of specimen. These diverse modes measure different atomic forces that are acting between apex and specimen surface and are used for producing topographical image of the sample with high molecular resolution. The force measurement is by way of cantilever deflection measures. The cantilever can be made by piezoelectric material, whereas it is a piezoelectric stage that moves the specimen with respect to the tip. The cantilever is affected by position, tip-sample separation, it’s material, and different forces. A beam of laser focused on the force sensing/imposing lever and reflected onto a sensitive detector which is position sensing photo diode PSPD. Due to high resolution and small contact areas there is no need of vacuum and problems due to contamination and roughness are minimized.
Tehnički glasnik, 2024
The atomic force microscope (AFM) enables the measurement of sample surfaces at the nanoscale. Reference standards with calibration gratings are used for the adjustment and verification of AFM measurement devices. Thus far, there are no guidelines or guides available in the field of atomic force microscopy that analyze the influence of input parameters on the quality of measurement results, nor has the measurement uncertainty of the results been estimated. Given the complex functional relationship between input and output variables, which cannot always be explicitly expressed, one of the primary challenges is how to evaluate the measurement uncertainty of the results. The measurement uncertainty of the calibration grating step height on the AFM reference standard was evaluated using the Monte Carlo simulation method. The measurements within this study were conducted using a commercial, industrial atomic force microscope.
CMOS monolithic atomic force microscope
Symposium on VLSI Circuits, 2004
A single-chip atomic force microscope fabricated in industrial CMOS-technology with post-CMOS micromachining is presented, which comprises an array of twelve cantilevers with integrated deflection sensors and actuators, digital proportional-integral-derivative (PID) deflection controllers, amplification stages, offset compensation circuitry, digital filters for sensor-actuator coupling compensation, AID and DIA converters, dedicated serial lines (one per cantilever) for fast data transfer, and an 12C serial interface for chip programming. Parallel scanning imaging evidenced a height resolution better than 10nm.
Battery-operated atomic force microscope
Review of Scientific Instruments, 1998
The design of a battery-operated atomic force microscope ͑AFM͒ using a piezoresistive cantilever is described. The AFM is designed so that all power to drive the scanning tube and detection electronics comes from a self-contained battery. The prototype AFM uses a 6 V, Ni-Cd, camcorder battery, however, any battery that supplies between 6 and 12 V may be used. Scanner control and data acquisition are implemented using commercially available software running on an external computer. The prototype AFM achieves a scan area of 53 by 53 m, consumes 1.8 W of power, and can scan continuously for about 7 h on a single battery charge.
Advances in atomic force microscopy
Reviews of Modern Physics, 2003
This article reviews the progress of atomic force microscopy (AFM) in ultra-high vacuum, starting with its invention and covering most of the recent developments. Today, dynamic force microscopy allows to image surfaces of conductors and insulators in vacuum with atomic resolution. The mostly used technique for atomic resolution AFM in vacuum is frequency modulation AFM (FM-AFM). This technique, as well as other dynamic AFM methods, are explained in detail in this article. In the last few years many groups have expanded the empirical knowledge and deepened the theoretical understanding of FM-AFM. Consequently, the spatial resolution and ease of use have been increased dramatically. Vacuum AFM opens up new classes of experiments, ranging from imaging of insulators with true atomic resolution to the measurement of forces between individual atoms.
Atomic force microscope featuring an integrated optical microscope
Ultramicroscopy, 1992
The atomic force microscope (AFM) is used to image the surface of both conductors and nonconductors. Biological specimens constitute a large group of nonconductors. A disadvantage of most AFM's is the fact that relatively large areas of the sample surface have to be scanned to pinpoint a biological specimen (e.g. cell, chromosome) of interest. The AFM presented here features an incorporated optical microscope. Using an XY-stage to move the sample, an object is selected with the aid of the optical microscope and a high-resolution image of the object can be obtained using the AFM. Results on chromosomes and cells demonstrate the potential of this instrument. The microscope further enables a direct comparison between optically observed features and topological information obtained from AFM images.