Engineering Research Equipment Grants: A High Performance Imaging and Control System for the Surface Forces Apparatus

在降低实验方法的难度和单调乏味之前，表面力仪器将仍然是少数专业专家手中的工具，而不是胶体和界面科学的主要技术。在其发展15年后，研究人员继续用肉眼测量低强度干涉条纹的位置，从而测量波长；这一过程至少需要六个月的练习才能掌握，如果要精确地测定表面间距，精确到一埃以内，这是必须的。即便如此，测量的分辨率最终还是受到研究人员身体能力和耐力的限制。在本提案中，我们要求资金用于开发一种高性能的表面设备成像和控制系统，该系统可以提供比目前更高分辨率的力测量自动化。该系统将与我们的表面力仪器一起用于研究超薄有机薄膜的结构和稳定性。

Until the difficulty and tedium of the experimental method is reduced, the surface forces apparatus will remain a tool in the hands of a few dedicated specialists rather than a mainstay technique in colloid and interface science. Fifteen years after its development, researchers continue to measure the positions, and thereby wavelengths, of the low intensity interference fringes by eye; a process that takes at least six months of practice to master, as it must be, if surface separation is to be determined accurately and precisely to within one angstrom. Even then, the resolution of the measurement is ultimately limited by the physical abilities and stamina of the researcher. In this proposal, we request funds to develop a high perfomance imaging and control system for the surface apparatus that provides for automation of the force measurement with resolution greater than currently possible. The system will be used in conjunction with our surface forces apparatus to investigate the structure and stability of ultrathin organic films.