Applied Science and Convergence Technology

The Korean Vacuum Society (한국진공학회)
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Design and Fabrication of a Vacuum Chamber for a Commercial Atomic Force Microscope

  • Park, Sang-Joon (School of Mechanical Engineering, Kyungpook National University) ;
  • Jeong, Yeon-Uk (School of Material Science and Engineering, Kyungpook National University) ;
  • Park, Soyeun (College of Pharmacy, Keimyung University) ;
  • Lee, Yong Joong (School of Mechanical Engineering, Kyungpook National University)
  • Received : 2014.02.07
  • Accepted : 2014.03.26
  • Published : 2014.03.30
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Abstract

A vacuum chamber for a commercial atomic force microscope (AFM) is designed and fabricated. Only minimal modifications were made to an existing microscope in an effort to work in a vacuum environment, while most of the available AFM functionalities were kept intact. The optical alignment needed for proper AFM operations including a SLD (superluminescent diode) and a photodiode can be made externally without breaking the vacuum. A vacuum level of $5{\times}10^{-3}$ torr was achieved with a mechanical pump. An enhancement of the quality factor was observed along with a shift in the resonance frequency of a non-contact-mode cantilever in a vacuum. Topographical data of a calibration sample were also obtained in air and in a low vacuum using the non-contact mode and the results were compared.

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References

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