Atomic Force Microscopes for Process Development and Control In advanced technology industries, Atomic Force Microscopes are crucial for process development and control applications. For process control, the AFM measurements are made repetitively. By using standard measurement protocols and qualified probe tips, accuracy and precision can be assured. What are the types of material readily scanned with the AFM? The machined, etched, and polished surfaces of glass, semiconductors, and metals are readily scanned with the AFM. There are traditional methods of profiling available including the stylus profiler and optical profilers. Often a stylus profiler does not have the required vertical resolution and an optical profiler does not have the required horizontal resolution. It is easy to get vertical resolution of 0.1 nm and horizontal resolution of 1 nm or even smaller with Atomic Force Microscopes. Is it possible to measure the height of features on patterned wafers? Atomic force microscopes can accurately measure the height of features on patterned wafers. With an AFM, step heights of 1 nm to 100 nm are readily measured. Is AFM ideal to perform the nano-particle size measurements? For measuring the size of nano-particle mixtures, Atomic force microscopes are ideal especially when nano-particles are between 1 and 50 nm. What are the phases in polymer samples? Not only can an AFM measure the topography of polymer samples surface, with an AFM you can measure phase images. The phase image can distinguish between regions at the polymer sample's surface with differing hardness. Why is it important to visualize surface nano features? It is often difficult to establish a numerical parameter that fully characterizes surface features. However, it is helpful to visualize the topography of surface structure. Through visualization minor surface blemishes or irregularities can be detected easily. Industries such as data storage, semiconductor, advanced material, polymer, and photonics use atomic force microscopes for process development and control. If you are looking for atomic force microscopes and want to learn more about atomic force microscopy, then feel free to visit https://www.afmworkshop.com.