Collaborative Research: Edge Surface Topography Characterization for Precision Sensing Technology

表面形貌是工业产品的基本属性，应用数量不断增加，需要对表面进行适当的控制并了解这些形貌属性。表面形貌表征技术是广泛的研究领域和工业应用的支柱，例如主要通过使用原子力显微镜、扫描电子显微镜或触摸触发触针轮廓仪来研究的粗糙度和纹理测量。目前，除了视觉之外，没有其他方法来测量或量化边缘表面形貌，并且边缘表面形貌的性质和特征还没有得到很好的记录。在对边缘表面形貌的基本理解及其测量和表征方法方面存在知识差距。本基础研究计画将利用光学刀口绕射特性，提升感测灵敏度之信噪比。这项研究的成功实施将可能导致测量方法的根本转变，这些方法可用于原子力显微镜探针，金刚石切割工具，砂轮，主轴和铣刀的各种边缘表面传感，监测和检查。研究成果将通过出版物、技术演示和教育活动传播，包括在大学一级和通过研究人员带头的外联工作。该项目将通过创建一种新的测量和表征范式来测试基本假设，以找到边缘表面形貌特性与边缘衍射特性之间关系的基本问题。研究人员将通过使用3D打印、精密研磨、金刚石划片、硅湿法蚀刻和激光划片工艺生成具有各种粗糙度、锐度、形状和边缘材料的边缘表面形貌图案。此外，该项目还将研究是否可以结合多个边缘传感器来提高边缘检测灵敏度，以及如何使用实验技术对这些拓扑结构进行验证。在这项研究中的理论和实验活动将被用来发现边缘表面形貌计量技术的基本传感限制。因此，将建立一个确定性，使边缘表面形貌特性的量化，并建立精密传感应用的边缘表面形貌的基本设计原则。

Surface topography is a fundamental property for the industrial products, and the number of applications keeps increasing, making the need for adequate control of surfaces and understanding of those topography properties. Surface topography characterization techniques are the backbone of broad research areas and industrial applications such as roughness and texture measurements that are dominantly studied by using atomic force microscopes, scanning electron microscopes or touch-triggered stylus profilers. Currently, there is no way to measure or quantify the edge surface topography other than visually, and the edge surface topography properties and characteristics have not been well-documented. There is a knowledge gap in the fundamental understanding of the edge surface topography and on methodologies for its measurement and characterization. This fundamental research program will utilize optical knife edge diffraction characteristics that can enhance signal-to-noise ratio of sensing sensitivity. The successful implementation of this research will potentially lead to a fundamental shift in measurement methodologies that can be used for a variety of edge surface sensing, monitoring, and inspection for atomic force microscopy probes, diamond cutting tools, grinding wheels, spindles, and milling tools. Research findings will be disseminated through publications, technical presentations, and educational activities, including at the university-level and through outreach efforts spearheaded by the investigators.This project will test the fundamental hypothesis by creating a novel measurement and characterization paradigm in order to find fundamental issues in the relationship between the edge surface topography properties with edge diffraction characteristics. The investigators will generate the edge surface topography patterns with various roughness, sharpness, shape, and materials on edges by using 3D printing, precision grinding, diamond scribing, silicon wet etching, and laser scribing processes. Furthermore, the project will study whether multiple edge sensors can be combined to improve edge detection sensitivity, and how those topologies can be instrumented for validation using experimental techniques. The theoretical and experimental activities in this research will be used to discover fundamental sensing limits of edge surface topography metrology techniques. As a result, a deterministic will be built to enable the quantification of the edge surface topography properties and to establish fundamental design principles in edge surface topography for precision sensing applications.