Measurement science at the nanoscale

The National Measurement Institute Australia (NMIA) operates a nanometrology program with the aim of supporting research, development and commercial application of nanotechnology in Australia, and to assist in assuring the safety of applications of nanotechnology for Australian consumers, workplaces and the environment. Accurate and comparable measurements at a length scale of billionths of a metre are important for the development of nanoscience and critical for translating its discoveries into nanotechnology applications and products.

An important component of the metrology framework for nanotechnologies is the ability to make nanoscale length measurements that are traceable to the international system of units (SI). At the National Measurement Institute Australia (NMIA), the primary standard for such measurements is realised with a metrological scanning probe microscope (mSPM). It achieves SI traceability via laser interferometry, linking the laser wavelength to NMIA’s realisation of the SI definition of the metre. Here, we give an overview of the design and operation of the mSPM, highlighting the metrological aspects of this ultra-stable instrument which is capable of measuring the dimensions of nanostructures in an addressable volume of 100 µm × 100 µm × 25 µm with a target uncertainty of 1 nm.