In this month's Research Spotlight we will highlight some of the world-class facilities available to Queensland companies at the Australian National Fabrication Facility (ANFF) Queensland node, located at the St Lucia campus, University of Queensland (UQ). These specialist services and equipment may help to solve some of the fundamental and next generation materials and manufacturing issues that industry is facing.
Atomic Force Microscopy
Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM) is an analytical technique which allows topographical measurements down to a billionth of a metre and beyond, far better than scanning electron microscopy (SEM), which most people are familiar. The other significant difference from SEM is that AFM if offering a tridimensional result. Depending on the applied mode, contact or tapping, the probe tip reacts to the proximity of the surface and the deflection of the probe tip is converted into distance units using a laser lever. The nature of the contact and the measurement type may lead to outputs such as surface roughness, electrostatic forces, conductivity, elasticity and chemical maps.
The main advantage of AFM is the ability "to see" in three dimensions, but the downside is it's relatively slow and is typically limited to a 100x100 microns area.
There are a number of manufacturing applications for this technique:
- Defect inspection using contact probe e.g. semiconductor track profiles
- Metallographic applications e.g. dendrite structures and precipitation studies
- Nano-surface roughness testing
- Surfaces electrical conductivity
- Nanolithography
In some cases the characteristics that define a particular reaction, whether desired or not, cannot be seen at the conventional scale. However, AFM may unlock the secrets by examining the molecular scale interactions and structures.
Nanofabrication:
Modern products and systems are becoming decreasingly smaller in size and conventional manufacturing processes can reach their limit. In this realm, microfabrication processes are used to manufacture features, components and devices at the microscopic and nanometre scale.
Nanofabrication generally involves sequence of processes including patterning, etching, and materials deposition, after fabrications another phase of processing will be carried out such as characterisation, cutting, wire bonding and moulding processes.
Nanofabrication processes are used in the photonics, electronics, semiconductor and biomedical industries as well as being used to produce micro-sensors and micro-fluidic devices.
At UQ, a full scale demonstration facility has been established and installed in a clean room environment to provide clients with prototypes of nanofabricated devices. This comprises plotting, mask alignment, lithography, inkjet printing, organic and inorganic materials deposition, wire bonding, etching, characterisations and encapsulation processes.
The polymer synthesis facility within ANFF Queensland is capable of producing materials with tailored properties such as hardness or softness, UV, water resistance or particular electrical, optical or biological properties. To compliment this capability, ANFF Queensland have various characterisation techniques that can aid in trouble-shooting materials problems such as unexpected degradation and the testing of properties for potential new applications to gain the competitive edge.
For companies involved in the biomedical, biological and electronics industry the ability to derive optimal properties and reactions at a pilot scale can assist to reduce the time-to-market of new products. It also minimises the risks associated with large scale production of polymers using costly processes and materials. New materials can be developed for applications such as wave guides in optical communication systems as the required level of transparency in the infrared wavelength region can be 'designed in'.
To add to this capability, ANFF is able to synthesise deuterated materials that can be used as contrast agents or as internal standards for product testing. This facility also has the ability to synthesize chemicals that can be hard to source. These are just some of the facilities available at the ANFF Queensland, and the centre also houses researchers and support staff to ensure that the ANFF Queensland remains one of the premier facilities of its kind in the world.
For more information or advice, please contact:
Consultant: Sara Eastwood
Phone: +61 7 3364 0700
Email: info@qmisolutions.com.au