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dc.contributor.advisorScott R. Manalis and Anne M. Mayes.en_US
dc.contributor.authorSparks, Andrew William, 1977-en_US
dc.contributor.otherMassachusetts Institute of Technology. Dept. of Materials Science and Engineering.en_US
dc.date.accessioned2008-02-28T16:07:12Z
dc.date.available2008-02-28T16:07:12Z
dc.date.copyright2005en_US
dc.date.issued2005en_US
dc.identifier.urihttp://dspace.mit.edu/handle/1721.1/30249en_US
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/30249
dc.descriptionThesis (Ph. D.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Materials Science and Engineering, 2005.en_US
dc.descriptionIncludes bibliographical references (p. 109-116).en_US
dc.description.abstractAll scanning probe microscopes (SPMs) are affected by disturbances, or mechanical noise, in their environments which can limit their imaging resolution. This thesis introduces a general approach for suppressing out-of-plane disturbances that is applicable to non-contact and intermittent contact SPM imaging modes. In this approach, two distinct sensors simultaneously measure the probe-sample separation: one sensor measures a spatial average over a large sample area while the other responds locally to topography underneath the nanometer-scale probe. When the localized sensor is used to control the probe-sample separation in feedback, the spatially distributed sensor signal reveals only topography. This technique was implemented on a scanning tunneling microscope (STM) and required a custom micromachined scanning probe with an integrated interferometer for the spatially averaged measurement. The interferometer design is unique to SPM because it measures the probe-sample separation instead of the probe deflection. A robust microfabrication process with a novel breakout scheme was developed and resulted in 100 % device yield. For imaging, an STM setup with optical readout was built and characterized. The suppression improvement over conventional SPM imaging was measured to be 50 dB at 1 Hz, in agreement with predictions from classical feedback theory. Images are presented as acquired with each sensor signal in several environments, and the interferometer images show remarkable clarity when compared with the conventional tunneling images.en_US
dc.description.abstract(cont.) The out-of-plane noise floor with this technique on the home-built microscope was 0.1 i rms. The results of this work suggest that the resolution of STM and other SPM modes, notably tapping mode atomic force microscopy (AFM), can be substantially improved, allowing low noise imaging of nanoscale topography in noisy environments and potentially enabling repeatable atomic scale imaging in ambient conditions.en_US
dc.description.statementofresponsibilityby Andrew William Sparks.en_US
dc.format.extent116 p.en_US
dc.language.isoengen_US
dc.publisherMassachusetts Institute of Technologyen_US
dc.rightsM.I.T. theses are protected by copyright. They may be viewed from this source for any purpose, but reproduction or distribution in any format is prohibited without written permission. See provided URL for inquiries about permission.en_US
dc.rights.urihttp://dspace.mit.edu/handle/1721.1/30249en_US
dc.rights.urihttp://dspace.mit.edu/handle/1721.1/7582
dc.subjectMaterials Science and Engineering.en_US
dc.titleScanning probe microscopy with inherent disturbance suppression using micromechanical systemsen_US
dc.typeThesisen_US
dc.description.degreePh.D.en_US
dc.contributor.departmentMassachusetts Institute of Technology. Department of Materials Science and Engineering
dc.identifier.oclc60822281en_US


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