Building a Low-Cost AFM with a Quartz Sensor and its Advantages

• Autor(a) principal: Neves, Paulo Filipe Valverde das
• Data de Publicação: 2017
• Tipo de documento: Dissertação
• Idioma: eng
• Título da fonte: Repositório Científico de Acesso Aberto de Portugal (Repositórios Cientìficos)
• Texto Completo: http://hdl.handle.net/10362/51479
• topic: Atomic Force Microscopy Development; Nano-mechanical Properties; Lowcost AFM; Contact Mechanics; Tuning Fork; Domínio/Área Científica::Engenharia e Tecnologia::Outras Engenharias e Tecnologias

Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM) and similar technologies are gaining extraordinary relevance thanks to their capabilities in manipulating on the micro and nano scale and performing studies with atomic resolution. From RoboticMicro-Assembly to pharmacology and cancerology the AFM technology is being applied and developed, however the instruments and equipment necessary to perform research are very expensive, which limits the development and use of this technology. In this work, the first decisive stage for the construction of a low-cost AFM, with a tuning fork as a sensorwas done. Its design and planning carefully considered economical options and a number of AFM components were made from scratch, using computer assisted design (CAD) software, 3D printing and other methods. This AFM has the notable characteristic of using a tuning fork as a sensor, which besides being a more cost-effective option, also brings more applications and advantages in relation to the traditional sensors used. One of the benefits of the AFM is in the study of nano-mechanical properties, which can lead to a better understanding of deceases, biological processes or new construction materials, given the prevalence of this topic, the method for using an AFM with a tuning fork as a sensor, to study such properties, is studied and demonstrated. The value of the Young’s modulus, is determined successfully for some samples and compared to the values found in literature with other methods. Besides studying mechanical properties the custom made AFM is used to perform topography of calibration samples and CD samples, where pits and lands (encoded data) were observed, confirming that the AFM is functional. The quality of the AFM is not identical to that of an expensive commercial AFM and economical improvements for further development are suggested.