Collaborative Research: Edge Surface Topography Characterization for Precision Sensing Technology

表面形貌是工业产品的基本特性，其应用数量不断增加，因此需要对表面进行充分的控制并了解这些形貌特性。表面形貌表征技术是广泛的研究领域和工业应用的支柱，如粗糙度和纹理测量，主要通过使用原子力显微镜，扫描电子显微镜或触摸触发的触控笔剖面仪进行研究。目前，除了视觉之外，没有其他方法可以测量或量化边缘表面形貌，边缘表面形貌的性质和特征也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理解方面存在知识差距。该基础研究项目将利用光学刃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转变，可用于原子力显微镜探针，金刚石切削工具，砂轮，主轴和铣削工具的各种边缘表面传感，监测和检查。研究结果将通过出版物、技术报告会和教育活动，包括在大学一级和通过由调查人员带头的外联努力来传播。本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，以发现边缘表面形貌特性与边缘衍射特性之间关系的基本问题。研究人员将使用3D打印、精密研磨、金刚石刻划、硅湿蚀刻和激光刻划工艺，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，该项目将研究是否可以组合多个边缘传感器以提高边缘检测灵敏度，以及如何使用实验技术对这些拓扑进行仪器验证。本研究的理论和实验活动将用于发现边缘表面形貌测量技术的基本传感极限。因此，将建立确定性以实现边缘表面形貌特性的量化，并为精确传感应用建立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.