Ultra-precise Coordinate Metrology of Three-dimensional Objects at Micrometer and Nanometer Scales

该奖项的目的是研究和开发实现三维物体在微米和纳米尺度上的超精密坐标计量的技术。这些使能技术将用于实现一个三轴探测系统，该系统能够测量物体的底切和自由形状，其表面形状的关键尺寸缩小到100 nm以下。该方法包括四个阶段。首先，主动三轴可重定向探测系统的设计和原型设计的系统方法，提出了实现两个显着的特点：（i）的探头的方向和探头尖端在扫描平面中的位置被主动控制，和（ii）在两个轴的尖端-样品相互作用力被主动控制。第二，提出了尖端运动控制和稳定性分析，以实现具有未知几何形状和大的几何变化的亚100 nm三维物体的稳定扫描。第三，提出了驱动增益的实时校准和热漂移的补偿，以显着降低系统的时间方差的影响，同时实现超精密和高吞吐量的坐标计量。第四，提出了两轴力传感和力控制方案，以实现在扫描平面内精确控制针尖-样品相互作用，这些技术将能够同时精确控制两轴偏转和两轴针尖-样品相互作用力，这两者对于使用所提出的探测系统探测垂直和重入特征非常重要。如果获得成功，该奖项所创造的技术将为实现有源5轴探测系统奠定基础，并将导致微米和纳米尺度的三维坐标计量的变革。具体而言，探测系统不仅将对微米和纳米尺度的坐标计量产生重大影响，而且还将对包括生物学、化学、医学和物理学在内的广泛领域的先进仪器产生重大影响。

The objective of this award is to investigate and develop enabling technologies for achieving ultra-precise coordinate metrology of 3-dimensional objects at micrometer and nanometer scales. These enabling technologies will then be used to realize a three-axis probing system capable of measuring undercuts and free-forms of objects whose critical dimensions of surface form are scaled down to sub-100nm. The approach consists of four phases. First, a systematic approach to the design and prototyping of active three-axis reorientable probing systems is proposed to achieve two distinguishing features: (i) the orientation of the probe and the position of the probe tip in the scanning plane are actively controlled, and (ii) the tip-sample interaction forces in two axes are actively controlled. Second, tip motion control and stability analyses are proposed to enable stable scanning of sub-100nm three-dimensional objects having unknown geometry and large geometric variation. Third, real-time calibration of actuation gain and compensation of thermal drift are proposed to significantly reduce the effect of the system's time variance for simultaneously achieving ultra-precise and high-throughput coordinate metrology. Fourth, two-axis force sensing and force control schemes are proposed to enable precise control of the tip-sample interaction in the scanning plane.These technologies will enable precise control of 2-axis deflection and of 2-axis tip-sample interaction force simultaneously, both of which are very important for probing vertical and re-entrant features using the proposed probing system. If successful, the enabling technologies created from this award will lay the foundation for realizing active 5-axis probing systems and will lead to transformational changes in three-dimensional coordinate metrology at micrometer and nanometer scales. Specifically, the probing system will not only have significant impact on coordinate metrology at micrometer and nanometer scales, but also on advanced instrumentation in a wide range of fields including biology, chemistry, medicine, and physics.