| Patent application number | Description | Published |
|---|
| 20090013770 | Material property measurements using multiple frequency atomic force microscopy - Apparatus and techniques for extracting information carried in higher eigenmodes or harmonics of an oscillating cantilever or other oscillating sensors in atomic force microscopy and related MEMs work are described. Similar apparatus and techniques for extracting information using contact resonance with multiple excitation signals are also described. | 01-15-2009 |
| 20090178166 | Method for microfabricating a probe with integrated handle, cantilever, tip and circuit - A simple method for integrating a circuit onto a probe with a handle, a cantilever and a tip is provided. By fabricating a probe whose surface has recessed patterns of the desirable profile, a circuit can be formed on one part of the handle out over the cantilever and back onto a different part of the handle without employing a circuit lithography step. The circuit material constituting the circuit is deposited orthogonally to the probe surface with a line-of-sight technique. | 07-09-2009 |
| 20100180356 | Nanoindenter - A new type of indenter is described. This device combines certain sensing and structural elements of atomic force microscopy with a module designed for the use of indentation probes, conventional diamond and otherwise, as well as unconventional designs, to produce high resolution and otherwise superior indentation measurements. | 07-15-2010 |
| 20100213930 | Integrated micro actuator and lVDT for high precision position measurements - A single housing with a non-ferromagnetic piezo-driven flexure has primary and secondary coil forms of different diameters, one coaxially inside the other, integrated in the flexure. The cylinders defining the planes of the primary and secondaries do not spatially overlap. The secondary coil forms may be wound in opposite directions and wired to provide a transformer device. Movement of the primary relative to the secondaries in the direction of the central axis of the coils can be differentially detected with high precision. | 08-26-2010 |
| 20100275334 | Modular atomic force microscope - A modular AFM/SPM which provides faster measurements, in part through the use of smaller probes, of smaller forces and movements, free of noise artifacts, that the old generations of these devices have increasingly been unable to provide. The modular AFM/SPM includes a chassis, the foundation on which the modules of the instrument are supported; a view module providing the optics for viewing the sample and the probe; a head module providing the components for the optical lever arrangement and for steering and focusing those components; a scanner module providing the XYZ translation stage that actuates the sample in those dimensions and the engage mechanism; a isolation module that encloses the chassis and provides acoustic and/or thermal isolation for the instrument and an electronics module which, together with the separate controller, provide the electronics for acquiring and processing images and controlling the other functions of the instrument. All these modules and many of their subassemblies are replaceable and potentially upgradeable. This allows updating to new technology as it becomes available. | 10-28-2010 |
| 20100333240 | Fully Digitally Controller for Cantilever-Based Instruments - A controller for cantilever-based instruments, including atomic force microscopes, molecular force probe instruments, high-resolution profilometers and chemical or biological sensing probes. The controller samples the output of the photo-detector commonly used to detect cantilever deflection in these instruments with a very fast analog/digital converter (ADC). The resulting digitized representation of the output signal is then processed with field programmable gate arrays and digital signal processors without making use of analog electronics. Analog signal processing is inherently noisy while digital calculations are inherently “perfect” in that they do not add any random noise to the measured signal. Processing by field programmable gate arrays and digital signal processors maximizes the flexibility of the controller because it can be varied through programming means, without modification of the controller hardware. | 12-30-2010 |
| 20110154546 | Thermal measurements using multiple frequency atomic force microscopy - Apparatus and techniques for extracting information carried in higher eigenmodes or harmonics of an oscillating cantilever or other oscillating sensors in atomic force microscopy and related MEMs work are described. Similar apparatus and techniques for extracting information from piezoelectric, polymer and other materials using contact resonance with multiple excitation signals are also described. | 06-23-2011 |
| 20120079631 | Material Property Measurements Using Multiple Frequency Atomic Fore Microscopy - Apparatus and techniques for extracting information carried in higher eigenmodes or harmonics of an oscillating cantilever or other oscillating sensors in atomic force microscopy and related MEMs work are described. Similar apparatus and techniques for extracting information using contact resonance with multiple excitation signals are also described. | 03-29-2012 |
| 20120079633 | Apparatus and Method for Isolating and Measuring Movement in Metrology Apparatus - An Improved metrology apparatus, such as a scanning probe microscope (SPM), has an actuator that controls motion in three orthogonal directions when it is selectively and electrically stimulated. The X-Y section of the actuator, preferably a piezoelectric actuator, controls motion in the X and Y directions and the Z section of the actuator controls motion in the Z direction. A flexure is attached to the actuator and is mounted on a reference structure to prevent unwanted X and Y motion by the Z section of the actuator from moving a probe attached to the flexure. Preferably, two mirrors are mounted on the flexure. In operation of the SPM, a light beam is directed towards these mirrors. When the flexure moves in the Z direction, one of the mirrors is deflected and causes the reflected light to move across a detector, generating a signal representative of a change in the Z position of the flexure and the probe. | 03-29-2012 |
| 20120266336 | Fully Digitally Controller for Cantilever-Based Instruments - A controller for cantilever-based instruments, including atomic force microscopes, molecular force probe instruments, high-resolution profilometers and chemical or biological sensing probes. The controller samples the output of the photo-detector commonly used to detect cantilever deflection in these instruments with a very fast analog/digital converter (ADC). The resulting digitized representation of the output signal is then processed with field programmable gate arrays and digital signal processors without making use of analog electronics. Analog signal processing is inherently noisy while digital calculations are inherently “perfect” in that they do not add any random noise to the measured signal. Processing by field programmable gate arrays and digital signal processors maximizes the flexibility of the controller because it can be varied through programming means, without modification of the controller hardware. | 10-18-2012 |
| 20120272411 | Nanoindenter - A new type of indenter is described. This device combines certain sensing and structural elements of atomic force microscopy with a module designed for the use of indentation probes, conventional diamond and otherwise, as well as unconventional designs, to produce high resolution and otherwise superior indentation measurements. | 10-25-2012 |
| 20130024162 | Linear Variable Differential Transformer with Digital Electronics - Techniques for coupling with devices that convert displacements into differential voltages and improve the sensitivity of such devices. The disclosed system improves the accuracy and resolution of a transducers such as an LVDT by converting certain parts of the circuit to a digital circuit. One embodiment uses a processor, although other digital processing circuitry may also be used. | 01-24-2013 |
| 20130061356 | Active Damping of High Speed Scanning Probe Microscope Components - A technique for actively damping internal vibrations in a scanning probe microscope is disclosed. The excitation of various mechanical movements, including resonances, in the mechanical assembly of an SPM can adversely effect its performance, especially for high speed applications. An actuator is used to compensate for the movements. The actuator may operate in only the z direction, or may operate in other directions. The actuator(s) may be located at positions of antinodes. | 03-07-2013 |
| 20130314078 | Integrated Micro Actuator and LVDT for High Precision Position Measurements - A single housing with a non-ferromagnetic piezo-driven flexure has primary and secondary coil forms of different diameters, one coaxially inside the other, integrated in the flexure. The cylinders defining the planes of the primary and secondaries do not spatially overlap. The secondary coil forms may be wound in opposite directions and wired to provide a transformer device. Movement of the primary relative to the secondaries in the direction of the central axis of the coils can be differentially detected with high precision. | 11-28-2013 |
| 20140041084 | Material Property Measurements Using Multiple Frequency Atomic Fore Microscopy - Apparatus and techniques for extracting information carried in higher eigenmodes or harmonics of an oscillating cantilever or other oscillating sensors in atomic force microscopy and related MEMs work are described. Similar apparatus and techniques for extracting information using contact resonance with multiple excitation signals are also described. | 02-06-2014 |
| 20140223612 | Modular Atomic Force Microscope - A modular AFM/SPM which provides faster measurements, in part through the use of smaller probes, of smaller forces and movements, free of noise artifacts, that the old generations of these devices have increasingly been unable to provide. The modular AFM/SPM includes a chassis, the foundation on which the modules of the instrument are supported; a view module providing the optics for viewing the sample and the probe; a head module providing the components for the optical lever arrangement and for steering and focusing those components; a scanner module providing the XYZ translation stage that actuates the sample in those dimensions and the engage mechanism; a isolation module that encloses the chassis and provides acoustic and/or thermal isolation for the instrument and an electronics module which, together with the separate controller, provide the electronics for acquiring and processing images and controlling the other functions of the instrument. All these modules and many of their subassemblies are replaceable and potentially upgradeable. This allows updating to new technology as it becomes available. | 08-07-2014 |
| 20140317790 | OPTICAL BEAM POSITIONING UNIT FOR ATOMIC FORCE MICROSCOPE - This invention relates to an optical light beam positioning system that enables the combination of two or more light beams of different wavelengths to be focused onto a probe or sample of a scientific instrument, such as an atomic force microscope, for a number of specific uses typical to AFMs, like measuring the deflection or oscillation of the probe and illuminating an object for optical imaging, and less traditional ones like photothermal excitation of the probe, photothermal activated changes in the sample, photothermal cleaning of the probe and photochemical, photovoltaic, photothermal and other light beam induced changes in the sample. The focused light beams may be independently positioned relative to each other. | 10-23-2014 |
