Atomic Force Microscopy, a technique for measuring the topology of 'bumps' on a CD or DVD stamper, to ensure that the mastering and electrofoming processes are creating stampers that will result in good pit geometry.
Atomic force microscope. The atomic force microscope measures forces that occur between the tip of the microscope and the sample. Under a certain distance, the electrons of the atoms repulse the tip from the sample. At larger distances, however, these forces attract one another. This method is quite similar to the scanning tunneling microscope (STM). It is interesting for biological research since it can also be used to examine non-conducting materials.
Atomic force microscopy (AFM) is a technique for analyzing the surface of a rigid material all the way down to the level of the atom. AFM uses a mechanical probe to magnify surface features up to 100,000,000 times, and it produces 3D images of the surface.
Atomic Force Microscope. Tool for acquiring three-dimensional maps of very small structures.
Atomic Force Microscope. An instrument able to image surfaces to molecular accuracy by mechanically probing their surface contours. A kind of proximal probe. .... A device in which the deflection of a sharp stylus mounted on a soft spring is monitored as the stylus is moved across a surface. If the deflection is kept constant by moving the surface up and down by measured increments, the result (under favorable conditions) is an atomic-resolution topographic map of the surface. Also termed a scanning force microscope. [FS
AFM stands for Atomic Force Microscope (German: RKM for "Rasterkraftmikroskop"), a microscope, developed in 1986 by Gerd Binnig, Calvin Quate and Christoph Gerber, that scans surfaces mechanically in nanometre scale. It works like this: the so-called cantilever, a needle attached to a leaf spring, is moved line by line across the surface. When the spring is bent because of the surface's structure, its deflection is measured by capacitive or, more typically, optical sensors. The tips' radius of curvature averages normally 10-20 nm, which allows lateral resolutions of 0.1-10 nm, depending on the sample's surface roughness. Piezo elements serve as drivers for the exact movement of the needle across the sample; therefore it is possible to scan areas of no more than 100 x 100 µm. The typical scanning speed lies around 1 Hz, which means that one line can be scanned back and forth per second. With normal resolutions of 250 × 250 up to 500 × 500 dots per inch, scanning one picture takes about 10min.
Stand for tomic orce icroscopy, which is used to measure the amount of imperfections on the surface of a CD, or DVD disc.
atomic force microscope. A scanning probe microscopy instrument capable of revealing the structure of samples. The AFM uses a sharp metal tip positioned over a conducting or non-conducting substrate and the surface topography is mapped out by measuring the mechanical force exerted on the tip. See scanning probe microscopy.
atomic force microscopy / atomic force microscope
see Atomic Force Microscope
Atomic Force Microscope. A microscope that works by bringing a fine needle right up to the surface of a semiconductor and tracing the topography of the material. AFMs are an alternative to scanning electron microscopes as a means of measuring and monitoring the widths and heights of critical dimensions on an integrated circuit die.
Physical tool for measurements of nano-topography and nano-forces on surfaces. Basically, the AFM consists of a thin, short lever with a few microns long sharp tip at the end. The tip's radius is usually of the order of a few nanometers. When this tip is brought in proximity to the surface, surface forces act on the tip and result in bending and torsion of the lever which is measured with various techniques (mostly optically). The bending and torsion provides the nano-topography and nano-forces.