Collaborative Research: Edge Surface Topography Characterization for Precision Sensing Technology

表面形貌是工业产品的一个基本属性，应用的数量不断增加，这就需要对表面进行充分的控制，并了解这些表面属性。表面形貌表征技术是广泛的研究领域和工业应用的支柱，例如粗糙度和纹理测量，这些测量主要使用原子力显微镜、扫描电子显微镜或触发式触发式笔迹轮廓仪进行研究。目前，除了目测之外，无法对边缘表面形貌进行测量或量化，边缘表面形貌的性质和特征还没有很好的文献记载。在对边缘表面形貌及其测量和表征方法的基本了解方面存在知识差距。这项基础研究计划将利用光学刀口衍射特性来提高传感灵敏度的信噪比。这项研究的成功实施可能会导致测量方法的根本性转变，这些方法可用于原子力显微镜探头、钻石刀具、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、技术报告和教育活动传播，包括在大学一级和通过研究人员带头的外展努力。该项目将通过创建一种新的测量和表征范式来检验基本假设，以便找到边缘表面形貌属性与边缘衍射特征之间关系的基本问题。研究人员将使用3D打印、精密研磨、钻石划片、硅湿法刻蚀和激光划片工艺生成边缘表面具有各种粗糙度、锐度、形状和材料的边缘表面形貌图案。此外，该项目将研究是否可以组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测量这些拓扑以进行验证。本研究的理论和实验活动将被用来发现边缘表面形貌测量技术的基本传感极限。因此，将建立一个确定性模型，以便能够量化边缘表面形貌属性，并建立用于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.