Recent developments and challenges of nanopositioning and nanomeasuring technology

• Published in: Measurement science & technology 2012-07, Vol.23 (7), p.74001
• Main Authors: Manske, Eberhard, Jäger, Gerd, Hausotte, Tino, Füßl, Roland
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: fibre coupled laser interferometer; multi-probe technology; nanopositioning and nanomeasuring machine
• ISSN: 0957-0233; 1361-6501
• DOI: 10.1088/0957-0233/23/7/074001

Rapid progress in several high-tech industries has significantly increased the need for dimensional micro- and nano-metrology. Structures to be measured are becoming more complex with smaller structure widths and higher aspect ratios in increasingly larger surface regions and potentially highly curved surfaces. Significant international effort can be seen to develop high-capacity measuring machines with nanometre precision in growing measuring ranges up to hundreds of millimetres. This paper begins with an outline of the requirements stemming from high-tech developments currently being done or expected in the future and discusses recent developments in the field of nanopositioning and nanomeasuring technology with respect to basic measurement approaches, laser interferometer systems. The large range of nanoprobe systems usable in nanomeasuring machines is discussed, such as optical focus sensors, white light interferometer microscopes, CCD camera microscopes using the depth from the focus method, tactile stylus probes, atomic force microscopes (AFMs) and 3D microprobes. The versatile properties of these sensors allow the machine to be used in many different metrological applications. The paper also introduces a multi-sensor approach using a microscope revolver. It concludes with an illustration of metrologically challenging measurements, e.g., scanning micro-structures of curved optical surfaces or performing AFM scans of very large regions with significant data volume.