VTT MIKES has acquired a new state-of-the-art atomic force microscope (AFM). This new instrument will take our AFM measurements to a new level by enabling faster and more accurate topography measurement of larger samples as well as new characterisation methods for different types of nanomaterials. The instrument will be used in customer measurements and research projects.
The atomic force microscope allows fast high-accuracy measurements of samples with a diameter of up to 200 mm with a measurement area of 100 µm x 100 µm x 12 µm. In addition to topography measurements, a large variety of nanomechanical and electrical properties can be measured with the instrument. For nanomechanical measurements, the AFM contains modules for acquisition of elasticity, adhesion, and hardness information simultaneously with topography mapping, for topographical imaging together with viscoelastic mapping, and for mapping of elasticity and viscoelastic damping. Moreover, the AFM has modules for measurement of different electrical properties of nanostructures including piezoelectrics measurements, surface potential measurements, electrical characterization of conductivity variations in resistive samples and mapping electric charge carrier locations, dopant levels, and dopant types.
The new AFM is a versatile addition to our nanometre and micrometre range services, which include optical and stylus measurement of surface texture and surface roughness, measurements of optical flatness and measurements of particle shape, size and size distribution. In addition, we provide scanning electron microscope (SEM) measurements for customers. Our quantitative measurement services have in-house traceability to the SI metre via our metrological AFM and laser diffractometer and include uncertainty evaluations. The uncertainty depends on the measurement.
