3D-AFM: Enhanced 3D sensitivity
Today, atomic force microscopy (AFM) is faced with the challenge of measuring 3D structures reliably. State-of-theart 3D measurements have been prone to errors since commercially available cantilevers (i.e. the measuring pins used in an AFM) do not react equally when exposed to forces from three spatial dimensions. At PTB, this problem has been successfully addressed by developing new cantilevers. These newly structured cantilevers react more sensitively to 3D influences, and they no longer tend to slip when scanning slopes that are not equally steep. (Technology Offer 476)
enhanced sensitivity with nearly isotropic stiffness
real 3D probing by means of flexible hinges
can be integrated into existing atomic force microscopes
Contact person for questions about technology transfer
Andreas Barthel, Phone: +49 531 592-8307, andreas.barthel(at)ptb.de, www.technologietransfer.ptb.de/en