Browsing by Subject "atomic force microscope"

Scanning probe microscopy (SPM), which includes atomic force microscopy (AFM), is an affordable and powerful tool for investigating surfaces. However, to ensure accuracy, a metrologically informed approach is required. In this thesis, a commercial Jupiter XR AFM was used for calibration experiments testing its reliability and accuracy. AFMs can further be improved by the use of active probes with added capabilities that allow for faster scanning speeds and other improvements. Efforts have been made to enable their broader use. At VTT MIKES, the commercial Jupiter XR AFM is being modified to use active probes capable of self-sensing and self-actuation. A simple AFM was first built as a test setup to better understand the probes and to split their integration into the Jupiter AFM into a step-by-step process where the mechanical, electronic, and software changes necessary could be separated into distinct parts. In this thesis, I describe experiments done to test the reliability of the commercial AFM, and the process of constructing and using the test setup AFM, after which I present some results obtained using them, and discuss the experiments and the integration process. Included is also an overview of metrology and some of the physics and other theory relevant to AFM, and a summary of the principles of AFM and its role in microscopy. This work is part of the MetExSPM project, which seeks to develop traceable high speed scanning probe microscopy, for example by achieving higher scanning speeds and larger scanning areas, while maintaining good resolution and metrologically traceable high accuracy. This will greatly increase the utility of SPMs, especially for industrial applications.