Nanoscience and Nanotechnology Commons^™

Design And Validation Of A Low Cost High Speed Atomic Force Microscope, Michael Ganzer, Tien Pham

Journal of Undergraduate Research at Minnesota State University, Mankato

The Atomic Force Microscope (AFM) is an important instrument in nanoscale topography, but it is expensive and slow. The authors designed an AFM to overcome both limitations. To do this, they used an Optical Pickup Unit (OPU) from a DVD player as the laser and photodetector system to minimize cost and they did not implement a vertical control loop, which maximized potential speed. Students will be able to be use this device to make nanoscale measurements and engage in micro-engineering. To prototype this idea, the authors tested an OPU with a silicon wafer and demonstrated the ability to consistently distinguish …