SCM-based nanomechanical property measurement system of AFM

In order to obtain the force depth curve directly and change the loading time, keeping load time and unloading time arbitrarily in the nanomechanical property measurement by Atomic Force Microscope(AFM), an AFM system was modified. A Single Chip Micyoco (SCM)-based input/output module was developed in the present study. Connected this module to the control system of AFM, a novel AFM-based nanomechanical property measurement system was formed with the signal output precision of 0.15 mV, signal input precision of 0.3 mV, and the moving accuracy of the stage of 1.53 nm. The normal load of measurement system could be changed continuously to get the in-situ force-depth curve according to the corresponding arithmetic. The out rate of the D/A output port could be varied by the SCM controller, so that the rate of loading, unloading and keeping period could be changed also. Integrated with a two-dimensional precision stage, the array indentation tests were carried out with a larger scale. The nanoindentation test results on polycarbonate and polydimethylsiloxane show that the nanomechanical property parameters of samples can be obtained with high accuracy and high speed based on this system. Samples like PDMS, micro beam and so on can also be investigated under the pure elastic deformation.