Atomic force microscope (AFM) for metrology applications
Asylum Research
Asylum's MFP NanoIndenter is a true instrumented indenter and is the first AFM-based indenter that does not use cantilevers as part of the indenting mechanism. These characteristics and the use of state-of-the-art AFM sensors provide substantial advantages in accuracy, precision and sensitivity over other nanoindenting systems. With conventional nanoindenters, electrical actuation typically causes small parts to heat up, resulting in drift and, consequently, measurement errors. The monolithic design of the flexured and sensored Z axis of the MFP NanoIndenter eliminates these drift problems and provides for quantifiable results. Displacement of the MFP's indenting flexure is performed with a piezo actuator and measured with our patented low-noise, sensored Nanopositioning System (NPS™). The force is computed digitally as the product of the spring constant and the measured indenter flexure displacement. This measurement is generated by converting the optical signal (measured at the MFP photodetector) into the displacement of the vertical indenting flexure. The indenter provides unprecedented resolution because the two quantities of interest - depth and force - are computed based on displacements measured with state-of-the-art AFM sensors. Unlike conventional instrumented nanoindenters that cannot quantitatively measure the force in real time, the optical lever detection enables high bandwidth, true force feedback. This allows repeatable imaging, quantitative feature measurement, quantitative force curves, and accurate positioning for manipulation and lithography.
