1,000,000x Magnification with Atomic Force Microscope

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  • čas pƙidĂĄn 16. 06. 2024
  • Today we're looking at Atomic Force Microscopy! I built a "macro-AFM" to demonstrate the principles of an atomic force microscope, then we look at a real AFM (an nGauge AFM from ICSPI) and do a few scans in the shop to see how it works.
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    AFM is a complimentary technique to SEM. Both can provide nanometer resolution images, but their different mechanisms (phyiscal probing vs electron beam) means they have different characteristics. AFM excels in precise heightmaps of the sample, easy scanning (no vacuum, no metal coating) and a diverse range of related techniques. SEM offers high depth-of-field and a very large field of view, which makes it easy to get a broad overview of a sample and then zoom in. Labs often use both in research because they compliment each other's strengths.
    nGauge AFM from ICSPI: www.icspicorp.com/
    Macro-AFM inspiration paper: Amin-Shahidi, Darya, and David Trumper. "Macro-scale atomic force microscope: An experimental platform for teaching precision mechatronics." Mechatronics 31 (2015): 234-242.
    Scans are post processed in Gwyddion (gwyddion.net/) and 3D images rendered in Blender
    0:00 AFM Scans!
    1:26 What is Atomic Force Microscopy?
    3:10 DIY "Macro-AFM" and real AFM
    4:34 Macro-AFM overview
    6:44 Cantilever displacement sensing
    7:30 Scanning on the Macro-AFM
    8:45 Tricky aspects of scanning probe microscopy
    10:20 Topographic result of lattice scan
    10:50 Traditional AFMs are big
    12:34 MEMs scanner on the nGauge
    13:45 Scan: Tungsten Carbide insert
    17:42 Scan: Ablated aluminum
    19:47 Scan: Gage block
    20:52 Conclusion
  • Věda a technologie

Komentáƙe • 904

  • @dienelt5661
    @dienelt5661 Pƙed 3 lety +1934

    Shows the results at the beginning of the video : ABSOLUTE LEGEND

    • @annaw.1951
      @annaw.1951 Pƙed 3 lety +52

      That's actually a really good way to grab attention, especially with results that good I want to know how it was achieved :D

    • @ruiqiangliu3511
      @ruiqiangliu3511 Pƙed 3 lety +5

      This guy has a PhD degree

    • @shadowknight7584
      @shadowknight7584 Pƙed 3 lety +3

      I agree

    • @geobot9k
      @geobot9k Pƙed 3 lety +12

      That alone got me to sub

    • @aaronnekrin5150
      @aaronnekrin5150 Pƙed 3 lety +4

      Super absolute legend

  • @MatryxMayhem
    @MatryxMayhem Pƙed 3 lety +1128

    The best part. Is that Historically humanity in the past has poked things with sticks to try and understand them. But in the present day we still do, the stick has just become a whole lot cooler.

    • @SpeakerWiggin49
      @SpeakerWiggin49 Pƙed 3 lety +16

      We never imagined textures could be so quantified. Our ancestors knew nothing of the micro world, they couldn't even conceive of a stick as small as a nanometer and moving so quickly.

    • @tericulbertson4430
      @tericulbertson4430 Pƙed 3 lety +24

      @@SpeakerWiggin49 that’s not the point, the point is our ancestors poked things with sticks to try and understand them just like we’re doing now with the microscopic world

    • @angrydragonslayer
      @angrydragonslayer Pƙed 3 lety +3

      @Stellvia Hoenheim ..... Pls stop.

    • @jeffmorris9893
      @jeffmorris9893 Pƙed 2 lety +9

      Come here. We are experimenting on people.
      -How do you experiment on people?
      We stick things in them.
      - Are you from the Biology Lab?
      What's a bilogee lab?

    • @xX1GuNNy1Xx
      @xX1GuNNy1Xx Pƙed 2 lety +1

      They are a lot cooler for sure!!! And much much much smaller 😂

  • @satrioarif1797
    @satrioarif1797 Pƙed 3 lety +343

    Love this so much, its like the most basic nature of humanity.
    "What the fuck is this? lets poke with a stick" thoughts stand the test of time to the fricking atom

    • @199NickYT
      @199NickYT Pƙed 3 lety +24

      YES!! That and "let's smash these two things together to see what flies out"

    • @theman13532
      @theman13532 Pƙed 3 lety +18

      @@199NickYT you forgot "lets burn these things to see what happens"

    • @199NickYT
      @199NickYT Pƙed 3 lety +3

      ​@@theman13532 Or even "let's poke it with a (nanoscopic) stick"

  • @RememberingMaryEvely
    @RememberingMaryEvely Pƙed 2 lety +104

    I've been retired some 12 years now, but back in the '90s I lead a team to select and purchase an AFM. I then supported it (and its Windows 3.1 interface) and trained users. Your model is excellent.

    • @sdrc92126
      @sdrc92126 Pƙed rokem

      Back in the 90's I was working with one of my profs building these. stm actually. iirc, there were doubts as to whether they were actually showing the images they said they were...

    • @nicholaswood7704
      @nicholaswood7704 Pƙed 3 měsĂ­ci

      Hey we're waiting for somebody to prove that about our own perceptions? Are we really hearing what we think were hearing are we really seeing what we think we're seeing how do you know?

  • @t0k4m4k7
    @t0k4m4k7 Pƙed 3 lety +467

    Can we talk about how he literally built a scanning microscope for demonstration purposes?

    • @deepspacemachines
      @deepspacemachines Pƙed 3 lety +46

      macroscope :o

    • @t0k4m4k7
      @t0k4m4k7 Pƙed 3 lety +7

      @@deepspacemachines lol true

    • @x1Conan3Spartan0x
      @x1Conan3Spartan0x Pƙed 3 lety +10

      This is a completely different lifestyle of focus. I thought my KD in Cod was good... this man is helping solve wonders of the world.

    • @t0k4m4k7
      @t0k4m4k7 Pƙed 2 lety

      @d3adsoulja i meant the macroscopic one

    • @WmSrite-pi8ck
      @WmSrite-pi8ck Pƙed 2 lety +4

      I don't think it is a "scanning microscope." I think it's actually a "probing macroscope."

  • @p41nk1ller2
    @p41nk1ller2 Pƙed 3 lety +121

    Amazing! As a technician in a physical lab i applaud you for the great explanation, and the macroscale AFM makes it so much clearer for everyone!

    • @p41nk1ller2
      @p41nk1ller2 Pƙed 3 lety +2

      @Stellvia Hoenheim I have basic knowledge of AFM, i am not an expert. (I learned new things)
      My thanks is for the time/effort spend on the research, explanation and rebuilding a 3d printer to AFM to teach people the principle.

  • @iain3713
    @iain3713 Pƙed 3 lety +168

    Holy shit that pcb is crazy, those little flexures are really cool

    • @BreakingTaps
      @BreakingTaps  Pƙed 3 lety +30

      Right?! Miracle of engineering, it's wild that these things are possible at all.

    • @claypotts2334
      @claypotts2334 Pƙed 3 lety +1

      @Stellvia Hoenheim Stellvia of the Universe

  • @faxezu
    @faxezu Pƙed 3 lety +25

    As a PhD Student in MEMS technology the chip a 7:18 just put me in awe.
    I know how complex the mechanics of the "simple actuation" I want to achieve is. This thing with x/y/z controlled motion is just beyond and stunning to see in almost exclusive silicon.
    Edit: 13:06 blew me away even more! One can still see the point the the "arm" was etched free from the surface, amazing!

    • @BreakingTaps
      @BreakingTaps  Pƙed 3 lety +5

      Pretty wild, right? It's amazing what MEMS engineering can do these days! IIRC, the actuators are thermal bimorph actuators (instead of electrostatic comb, which is what I assumed at first), which is just super cool :)

  • @Justin-dv7ul
    @Justin-dv7ul Pƙed 3 lety +51

    Atomic force microscopy is one of my favorite microscopy techniques, just because it can see down to nanometer resolution, give quantitative data in the Z direction, and the sample does not needs to be in a vacuum. compared to scanning electron microscopy, which requires the sample to be in vacuum, does not see in 3d or give quantitive data in the Z direction.
    Atomic force microscopes are just so cool

    • @absolute___zero
      @absolute___zero Pƙed 2 lety +5

      also scanning electron microscope damages the sample because the electrons (since they are accelerated to a somewhat high speed) can hit the electrons in the atoms of the sample itself and affect the valence bonding in the chemical elements under inspection. So, if you making some custom integrated circuit for a client, and you want to verify if it is ok (quality test), you can't use electron microscope since it will introduce defects in the product

    • @Justin-dv7ul
      @Justin-dv7ul Pƙed 2 lety

      @@absolute___zero That’s true too

  • @andrewphillip8432
    @andrewphillip8432 Pƙed 3 lety +92

    It’s really incredible we get to have complete MEMS AFMs in 2021. Seems like this came a bit early

    • @blahblahblahblah2933
      @blahblahblahblah2933 Pƙed 3 lety +6

      Nah, 2021 owes us.

    • @ExtantFrodo2
      @ExtantFrodo2 Pƙed 3 lety +11

      2021? We should have halfway mature universal assemblers.

    • @andrewphillip8432
      @andrewphillip8432 Pƙed 3 lety +6

      @@ExtantFrodo2 idk man transistors aren’t even 100 years old yet. Micro fabrication is still very new

    • @ExtantFrodo2
      @ExtantFrodo2 Pƙed 3 lety +4

      @@andrewphillip8432 Present day technology is sufficient for individuals to build personal spacecraft as well as orbiting habitats and factories with all necessary life support systems and communications. Yet almost no one understands the power and capabilities of the programmable femto-second quantum cascade laser array which can not only implement catalytic chemical restructuring on demand but molecular positioning and orientation as well for nano-assembly.

    • @bottlekruiser
      @bottlekruiser Pƙed 3 lety

      @@ExtantFrodo2 Personal spacecraft?

  • @u_t2347
    @u_t2347 Pƙed 3 lety +10

    I hear on good authority that "Tapping on atoms with a very sharp stick" is also a highly technical term.
    Great video, easy enough to follow even though I had no idea about your field. Thanks for sharing.

  • @Alexander_Sannikov
    @Alexander_Sannikov Pƙed 3 lety +111

    what i really like about your channel right now is that while it hasn't exploded yet, you have enough time to reply to semi-sensible comments that we leave, which i'm pretty sure will not be the case once it takes off :)

    • @BreakingTaps
      @BreakingTaps  Pƙed 3 lety +38

      Well, if the channel ever does take off in a big way, I'll still try. I like interacting with folks in the comments, I've learned a ton that way! There are _a lot_ of super knowledgeable folks here :)

    • @danielguy3581
      @danielguy3581 Pƙed 2 lety +1

      @@BreakingTaps MEMS technology is an Ukrainian conspiracy to inject mind-controlling chips into our [1/286]

    • @1SmokedTurkey1
      @1SmokedTurkey1 Pƙed 2 lety +1

      @@danielguy3581 Correct but it isn't Ukrainian. It was created by the illuminati lizard overlords that [1/274]

    • @Ygr3ku
      @Ygr3ku Pƙed 2 lety +5

      @@1SmokedTurkey1 Me, not knowing what you guys are talking about at the end of your comments [1/404]

  • @eVITORIOe
    @eVITORIOe Pƙed 3 lety +59

    try it in a CD, we should be able to see the data in the grooves.

    • @pawesomepal7827
      @pawesomepal7827 Pƙed 2 lety +7

      you can see that with a regular microscope

    • @milothedestroyerify
      @milothedestroyerify Pƙed 2 lety +10

      Cds are covered in plastic, you can't get to the pits that are in the foil.

    • @RaduOleniuc
      @RaduOleniuc Pƙed 2 lety +3

      @@milothedestroyerify you can remove the foil.

  • @Coecoo
    @Coecoo Pƙed 3 lety +60

    Everyone: You can't see shit on the atom level cuz it's so small.
    Science: Hold my beer.

    • @sinephase
      @sinephase Pƙed 3 lety

      once we're doing lithography in the angstrom range maybe we will?

    • @spartamerican6758
      @spartamerican6758 Pƙed 3 lety

      Still waiting for those atomic shots....

  • @Galeere2
    @Galeere2 Pƙed 3 lety +23

    This is incredible. Imagine how cheap it could be if it was mass-produced

  • @pyromen321
    @pyromen321 Pƙed 3 lety +29

    “Glompy” is a perfectly cromulent word

  • @MuditGupta89
    @MuditGupta89 Pƙed 3 lety +3

    that macroscale AFM was amazing! This is quickly becoming one of my favorite channels, unique, very well explained and filmed topics.

  • @BreakingTaps
    @BreakingTaps  Pƙed 3 lety +22

    *Addendum*
    - More footage of the probe scanning here: czcams.com/video/m0UK7LVSZ8g/video.html
    - If I mispoke, leave a comment and I'll add to this addendum! I'm new to AFM :)
    - Sorry for the "glow". Some poor life choices were made while filming (fogger, for cInEmAtIc haze) and made my life hell in editing. Lessons were learned 🙃
    - There are _many_ types of scanning probe techniques, I'm only describing a very small handful of techniques for topographic information. I might cover other techniques in the future, there are dozens! There are equally many variations of topographic AFM itself, and each manufacturer has their own special sauce, so my comments are just general statements :)
    - Scans were post-processed in Gwyddion, and the 3D animations done in Blender
    - The Macro-AFM architecture is: arduino driving voice coil and measuring back-EMF, a grbl controller handling stepper motors, Rust program talking to both of those and providing a browser-based UI
    - I should have elaborated on spatial resolution more: the final resolution you get is a combination of tip radius and surface geometry. A wide tip (100nm) can still get you high precision (few nm) spatial resolution if the surface is very flat and the features are not high aspect ratio. But high aspect ratio like nanoparticles or trenches will require a sharper tip that itself has a high aspect ratio, so that the tip can access the internal geometry. So spatial resolution is variable depending on what tips you load and what the sample looks like
    - Gage block is a cheapo import from Shars, so I'm not sure if this is representative of precision ground surfaces in general, or just cheaply ground ones :)

    • @MichaelWatersJ
      @MichaelWatersJ Pƙed 3 lety +1

      Nice Blender work! Any reason you stuck with the classic yet boring AFM colormap?

    • @BreakingTaps
      @BreakingTaps  Pƙed 3 lety +2

      @@MichaelWatersJ No particular reason :) Any suggestions for better color schemes? Definitely new to color maps in general, not sure what the best strategy is

    • @brettkent9851
      @brettkent9851 Pƙed 3 lety +1

      JET map for the win

    • @LanceThumping
      @LanceThumping Pƙed 3 lety

      Do you think it'd be possible to combine this with something like the Open Flexture Stage to slightly move the object over to rescan and expand the area?
      It doesn't need to do this super accurately as long as there is some overlap since that could be used to stitch the scans together automatically.

    • @mateijordache1952
      @mateijordache1952 Pƙed 3 lety +1

      Awesome video! Only thing to note is that there actually are quite a lot of modes that use contact mode as the base! It does dull the tip more, but with a proper calibration you can limit the forces applied to the surface. Some interesting contact mode applications are like conductive AFM (CAFM), piezo force (PFM), scanning capacitance (SCM) and more!

  • @Ratkill
    @Ratkill Pƙed 3 lety +3

    That gauge block surface really put the resolution into perspective for me. Unbelievable. It looks like the surface of mars, not some of machining's most finely surfaced measuring tools.

    • @johndef5075
      @johndef5075 Pƙed 3 lety +1

      That was amazing. Not what I expected.

  • @23chaos23
    @23chaos23 Pƙed 3 lety +42

    DUDE! you have the best toys, so jelly. Ill just go back to my resin printing corner and cry now. lol

    • @reyariass
      @reyariass Pƙed 3 lety +2

      @Stellvia Hoenheim Will pocket change do? I have about 3.50

  • @zeropoint5794
    @zeropoint5794 Pƙed 3 lety +5

    So i've had that project in my mind for a while.
    A geometry scanner to scan complex surfaces in a more or less automated way.
    Mechanically like a 3d printer, but with a probe instead of a hotend.
    Nothing extra fancy, all i want is .5mm of resolution on each axis.
    Guess now i finally have the inspiration for the probe design.
    Great stuff!

  • @ugurunver2403
    @ugurunver2403 Pƙed 2 lety +7

    That's basically a vinyl record player in atomic scale. And I liked how that image gauge block surface resembles Mars surface. I mean, i know they just choose to use that color palette for images but i think it's worth to think about the surface detail/mass ratios of both Mars and gauge blocks.

  • @hullinstruments
    @hullinstruments Pƙed 3 lety +4

    Dude your channel is just awesome. This is going to get so much attention from so many huge CZcamsrs and science lovers alike. I hope you continue down the path of DIY optical tools also. The community needs a well-designed DIY spectrometer, Along with so many other pieces of DIY optical test equipment and scientific apparatus! I think you’re just the man for the job!
    Your last few videos have me so excited about the possibilities!

  • @holemajora598
    @holemajora598 Pƙed 3 lety +79

    Honestly I can’t think of a single case in my life where I would need this but it’s still cool information.
    Ps: awesome deal, maybe unorthodox but a sweet deal

    • @connerphillips1228
      @connerphillips1228 Pƙed 3 lety +5

      As a private person there isn't really a need aside from curiosity. But it is absolutely a marvelous research tool.

    • @brertt8350
      @brertt8350 Pƙed 3 lety +3

      For the sake of science, just the fact that we now know something we didn't before is valuable enough

  • @thepilotmaster777
    @thepilotmaster777 Pƙed 3 lety +15

    *Pokes atom with*
    *Accidentally splits atom*
    “FUCK”

    • @mierbeuker8148
      @mierbeuker8148 Pƙed 2 lety +2

      With just one atom, the answer would be, not a lot would happen. In fact with atoms up to the mass of Iron, it actually takes energy to split it. But even with a heavier atom, the amount of energy released from just one atom is so small, my guess is you won't notice anything.
      All of this of course just hypothetically assuming it would even be possible to split an atom, by just tapping on it. In reality, that would be impossible to do with something like this. Atoms are tough little guys, with really strong nuclear forces protecting their integrity.
      In this scenario, I guess it would be akin to trying to open a bank vault, by blowing on it through a straw. đŸ€ŁđŸ€ŁđŸ€Ł

    • @ColinMacKenzieRobots
      @ColinMacKenzieRobots Pƙed 2 lety +1

      @@mierbeuker8148 Wow. You must be a blast at parties. Mansplaining the technical feasibility of every joke. đŸ€Ł

    • @mierbeuker8148
      @mierbeuker8148 Pƙed 2 lety

      @@ColinMacKenzieRobots You wouldn't know, since your gf always chooses one of her other bf's to take her to parties. But hey, at least you get to "respect" her, and give her all your money to call you her bf, right? Chad and Tyrone thanks you for your contribution.

    • @ColinMacKenzieRobots
      @ColinMacKenzieRobots Pƙed 2 lety +1

      @@mierbeuker8148 I'm worried about ya man

  • @z4lper
    @z4lper Pƙed 3 lety +13

    This is a very good intro to the SPM world, amazing! One quick note, AFM cantilevers don't have a mirror glued on top, instead they might be coated with a metal, like aluminum and gold for certain applications, like AFM imaging in liquid. Cheers!

    • @BreakingTaps
      @BreakingTaps  Pƙed 3 lety +4

      Whoops, good point! I was watching a lecture on the origins of STM/AFM and "glued on top" got stuck in my head haha. AFM in liquid is pretty wild!

  • @CodingTheSystem
    @CodingTheSystem Pƙed 3 lety +1

    This is just absurd. The production quality and depth you go into on your videos never ceases to amaze me. Absolutely stunning.

  • @amoose136
    @amoose136 Pƙed 3 lety +55

    It’s a shame they too operate on the “request for quote” pricing model. Look I don’t care if your product cost 1k, 10k, 1M, or 10M just list the damn price, whatever it is.

    • @whuzzzup
      @whuzzzup Pƙed 3 lety +10

      Agreed, "request for quote" is the worst thing ever.

    • @caseyjones7404
      @caseyjones7404 Pƙed 3 lety +3

      Yes I see it, Yes I want to buy it. I need 15. Take my money. Response : we dont have 15, only 12,000 min. Sure, send me the 12000, im going to take 15 out. Send it back on an account of the "picture does not match' cannot be applyed to out exact use.... Request Refund.....

    • @bluekenya4825
      @bluekenya4825 Pƙed 3 lety +4

      'Request for quote' simply means you might need some therapy before and after you see the price. But no worries. There is always a disruptor around the corner.

    • @jskratnyarlathotep8411
      @jskratnyarlathotep8411 Pƙed 3 lety +4

      at least what is the scale of price. Is it about $5k? Or $50k?

    • @oni2ink
      @oni2ink Pƙed 3 lety +4

      @@jskratnyarlathotep8411 Dunno for this one, but the range of prices seems to be 1k-100k$
      www.afmworkshop.com/afm-products/price-list

  • @CrazyMineCuber
    @CrazyMineCuber Pƙed 3 lety +6

    Very cool indeed! I just finished a very similar project at university. We made our own Scanning Tunnelling Microscope! Uses most of the same principles, but instead of tapping on the surface, you move a very sharp probe about an atom away from the surface. Then when a small voltage between the probe and the sample is applied, a magical current appear that is extremely distance sensitive. Our goal was to see atoms, so a micrometer is pretty huge in my brain currently :)

    • @BreakingTaps
      @BreakingTaps  Pƙed 3 lety +3

      Goodness, now that is definitely brain breaking. Very cool!

    • @_John_P
      @_John_P Pƙed 3 lety +2

      @@BreakingTaps It is a bit confusing the difference between "making contact" and "not making contact", as "physical contact" is a remote interaction between fields, so maybe what is meant by "contact" is when the tip is close enough to produce phonons and potentially exchanging atoms, or rearranging them on the surface, hence potentially causing wear, sticking the needle to the surface, cross-contamination and change in topography?

    • @BreakingTaps
      @BreakingTaps  Pƙed 3 lety +3

      ​@@_John_P Hehe good eye, I definitely glossed over that (well, I recorded a bunch trying to explain, but it was confusing and long so got cut). And looks like I technically mispoke in the final cut as well. So my understanding is that "contact" mode AFM relies on the very-close range repulsive forces between the tip and the surface. I believe this repulsive force starts just a few angstroms above the surface, and is why the cantilever is very soft so as to prevent damaging the surface (or tip) too much as they are strongly shoving on each other at that point. The so-called "non-contact" AFM relies on attractive forces at a longer distance, and measures how the attraction to the surface changes the resonance of the cantilever. I believe non-contact cantilevers are much stiffer to prevent them from being pulled down to the surface, and typically have much more sensitive amplifiers to detect the small attractive force.
      But yeah, you're totally right: all the forces are remote and nothing is _really_ in contact once you get small enough :)

  • @ShubhamBhushanCC
    @ShubhamBhushanCC Pƙed 3 lety +3

    The Macro FM is amazing!!! I did not expect such a great result

    • @BreakingTaps
      @BreakingTaps  Pƙed 3 lety +2

      Me either! Was honestly shocked how nice it came out, especially after the meh confocal results :)

  • @LeoMakes
    @LeoMakes Pƙed 3 lety +1

    Super inspiring work! The "janky" prototype was actually my favorite part of the video! It made the concept very clear (you can't see a MEMS device working!)

  • @natalie5947
    @natalie5947 Pƙed 3 lety +1

    This is the kind of science content I love. Using cool tools to do cool things. Also that was a great use of a scale model. Great content as always. I'm honestly surprised you don't have like 300k subs already.

  • @NvTwist
    @NvTwist Pƙed 3 lety +3

    That is one of the coolest tools I’ve seen
 & the scans are so quick. đŸ€Ż

    • @connerphillips1228
      @connerphillips1228 Pƙed 3 lety

      For real. I work on a nearly 20 year old system at work and it takes around 8 minutes per scan 😂

  • @party4keeps28
    @party4keeps28 Pƙed 3 lety +3

    "How cool is that?" 1:04
    *Incredibly Cool*

  • @MasterThief117
    @MasterThief117 Pƙed 3 lety

    This video is hecking awesome!
    Props to ICSpi to working with you and providing you with this microscope!

  • @stephenpuryear
    @stephenpuryear Pƙed 3 lety

    Thanks for your transparency. It improves the rest of this very cool video. Looks like a lot of fun!

  • @HuygensOptics
    @HuygensOptics Pƙed 3 lety +17

    Great stuff, I really enjoyed this! I was wondering, the samples you showed are pretty flat and parallel. How does it handle large height differences or things like surface tilt?

    • @BreakingTaps
      @BreakingTaps  Pƙed 3 lety +19

      Depends on how large the height differences are :) So the max Z resolution is 10 microns. If it encounters something larger than that the probe will bottom out/crash, or just start oscillating in free-air no longer touching the surface (like if travelling over a hole). The cantilever is actually pretty soft and flexible so it's unlikely to damage the probe unless you run it into a _really_ large feature which would be noticeable from the microscope. It'll just stop recording data because the oscillation is basically halted. There are also settings which control the size of the oscillation... I usually turn that up when scanning a new sample because it allows you to clear larger objects. Once you're sure the section is "safe" you can turn it down a little, which gives better resolution.
      There's usually some amount of tilt in the scans (due to angle of probe, and the stage not being perfectly parallel) which is corrected when post-processing the data. Different methods to level the image (3 point triangle, intersecting lines, polynomial, etc). If there is extreme tilt it'll be similar to running into large features, at one side of the scan you may bottom out or start scanning air. But OTOH, at a 20um scale even uneven surfaces end up being pretty flat... i was able to scan part of a fly wing for example.

    • @HuygensOptics
      @HuygensOptics Pƙed 3 lety +4

      @@BreakingTaps Thanks Zach for this elaborate answer. Sounds like this is a really interesting tool, for example also for layer thickness measurements. I will definitely be checking out this product!

    • @BreakingTaps
      @BreakingTaps  Pƙed 3 lety +8

      ​@@HuygensOptics No problem, feel free to ping if you have questions! I didn't get into it in the video, but they have different types of probes: sharp DLC tips and less-sharp wedge tips. The wedges are designed specifically for things like thin-film thickness testing since you don't need the high aspect ratio. Apparently last a really long time and are cheaper. I'm going to be doing some thin film testing in the near future, will let you know how it goes :)

  • @michaelmazarakis6796
    @michaelmazarakis6796 Pƙed 3 lety +9

    I find it odd how im a high-school drop out and i find myself watching videos like this.
    It also crazy how small that probe is.

    • @willfrank961
      @willfrank961 Pƙed 3 lety +6

      Dropping out means the system has failed you. Not the other way around. It's not a testament to your character. Plenty of legendary thinkers have been fed up with or been failed by the system. If you're curious and rigorous then you're a scientist.

  • @jersey-dude
    @jersey-dude Pƙed 2 lety

    Your enthusiasm makes me all that more excited about this device

  • @danielabbey7726
    @danielabbey7726 Pƙed 3 lety +8

    Wow, this is amazing stuff! Is AFM only for examining rigid materials, or would it also work on cells, viruses, etc?

    • @BreakingTaps
      @BreakingTaps  Pƙed 3 lety +23

      AFM can do cells, proteins, DNA, etc! The cantilever is actually very "soft" (although the tip is quite hard) so it will happily scan other soft things like cells or polymers. Mine can only do dry materials so I would have to dry/fix cells to make it work (on the todo list!), but there are other AFMs that specialize in wet environments, like for alive cell cultures. There are even variants that can record the "adhesion" force, and it's used to help differentiate proteins on the surface of cells, since different proteins are more or less "sticky" than the surrounding cell membrane.
      There's a sorta-classic AFM experiment that looks at DNA which I might try some day. It's supposed to be pretty tough, but the results are neat when it works :)

    • @danielabbey7726
      @danielabbey7726 Pƙed 3 lety +3

      @@BreakingTaps Cool! Thanks for the detailed explanation - very deep subject.

  • @skrame01
    @skrame01 Pƙed 3 lety +3

    Show the results, conclusions, recommrndations first, the best way to go.

  • @TheBauwssss
    @TheBauwssss Pƙed 3 lety +1

    Thank you very much for _not_ resorting to clickbait with your title for this video! Additionally, I want to give a second humongous thank you for showing those incredible AFM images right at the start of the video instead of forcing us to watch everything!
    Seriously, my thank you is very, very big and my appreciations are even bigger!! 😊 Not many CZcamsrs have this respect for the viewers, but you do. So you have my big congratulations, a very large thank you and so much appreciations! 😁👍

    • @BreakingTaps
      @BreakingTaps  Pƙed 3 lety +1

      Thanks for the kind words! I was thinking about the video and how to structure it, and figured if I showed the images up front and folks _didn't_ want to see how those were generated, they probably wouldn't have watched the video long anyway. So might as well show them at the beginning so that everyone else could appreciate how cool it was at the beginning :) And I was just too excited to hold it in until the end haha :) Cheers!

    • @TheBauwssss
      @TheBauwssss Pƙed 3 lety

      @Stellvia Hoenheim "Clickbait is a text or a thumbnail link that is designed to attract attention and to entice users to follow that link and read, view, or listen to the linked piece of online content, *with a defining characteristic of being deceptive, typically sensationalized or misleading* "
      Source: en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clickbait

  • @RafaelAcurcio
    @RafaelAcurcio Pƙed 3 lety

    I'm in awe... I have never seen this kind of scanning. The quality of the scan from the home made version... Wow. The quality from the company one...wow! I can't even think of projects where I would use it. The area is really small, but the speed of the results... Impressive. Thank CZcams for the recommendation, subscribed.

  • @DEtchells
    @DEtchells Pƙed 3 lety +5

    WOW! That is *amazing* ! Excellent explainer, the “macro AFM” is great. I learned a lot; I’d always assumed that AFMs were measuring some sort of chemical-type interaction force. They were somewhat conflated in my mind with STMs (scanning tunneling microscopes). I’m **intensely** envious of (a) all your gear but (b) especially your new pro-level AFM. (Brilliant tech; when I saw your macro AFM, I immediately thought that flexures would be a great way to do the x/y movement, then saw that that’s exactly what the ICSPI unit uses, only built with MEMS technology. I wonder if I could 3D print a platform to carry the probe, using flexures? - And also wonder what the ultimate limits might be of your Macro AFM approach.
    ==> I know they only work on a “request a quote” basis, but *is there any way you could get ICSPI to let you tell us what the overall range of prices is* for the model you have? I assume there are a lot of different configurations, so likely a broad range of prices, but maybe they’d let you tell us the general range? I doubt I’d remotely be able to afford one, but would love to know I’d it’d ever be a possibility.
    (I used a mini-SEM in college for semiconductor research I was doing at the time; it was the most fun instrument I’ve ever used 😁)

    • @Gaetano.94
      @Gaetano.94 Pƙed 2 lety +2

      Know a few people that worked on this tech from Waterloo and the ngauge costs around $10,000-$15,000

    • @DEtchells
      @DEtchells Pƙed 2 lety

      @@Gaetano.94 That actually seems remarkably inexpensive!👍

  • @RiffZifnab
    @RiffZifnab Pƙed 3 lety +4

    "Glompy" I see you are also a person of Science. (:

  • @JayTee78NIN
    @JayTee78NIN Pƙed 2 lety

    I'm really grateful I found this channel today. It's always great to find a new interesting channel

  • @ryanbarakeris2853
    @ryanbarakeris2853 Pƙed 3 lety +1

    He deffently valid for showing the results at the start

  • @billpeiman8973
    @billpeiman8973 Pƙed 3 lety +3

    I have investigated AFM before; the lowest price then was ~$25k.
    What is the price range for the nGauge ?

    • @jimquinn
      @jimquinn Pƙed 3 lety +5

      $15k with first 4 tips. Tips $200@ in 4pack ($800).

    • @blahblahblahblah2933
      @blahblahblahblah2933 Pƙed 3 lety

      @@jimquinn That's not horrible if you have a need for it.

    • @billpeiman8973
      @billpeiman8973 Pƙed 3 lety +1

      @@jimquinn What is the expected 'lifetime' of a tip?How is that measured?

    • @jimquinn
      @jimquinn Pƙed 3 lety

      $100@ ($400/4pk) std wedge tip, $200@ ($800/4pk) DLC sharp tip

    • @jimquinn
      @jimquinn Pƙed 3 lety

      @@billpeiman8973 hundreds of scans, see ICSPI's "tip" web page......

  • @andie_pants
    @andie_pants Pƙed 3 lety +6

    _THAT_ is how you keep our ADHD asses from clicking away... hit us with the eye candy up front! :-D

  • @DETHdressedInRED
    @DETHdressedInRED Pƙed rokem

    I like the style of your videos good sir! Start with the cool stuff and then capture my attention and then explain it, that way you don't lose me 3 minutes into the video. That deserves a sub.

  • @JohnSmith-kf1fc
    @JohnSmith-kf1fc Pƙed 2 lety

    First video i see from you Breaking Taps and i gotta say this is one of the most underrated channel ive come across. You're good!

  • @sshado2
    @sshado2 Pƙed 3 lety

    Thanks for teasing the photos up front. It makes me want to watch the rest!

  • @chrisreichelt7202
    @chrisreichelt7202 Pƙed 3 lety +1

    Super cool! Im imagining all the things I could scan.

  • @Joshualbm
    @Joshualbm Pƙed 2 lety

    A lot of people think that the analog music industry is based in nostalgia and archaic technology. But there is musical detail in a record groove that gets down to this level.

  • @austinsloop9774
    @austinsloop9774 Pƙed 3 lety

    great video! good flow, informational with great explanations, no fluff, and thanks for making the MacroAFM! So rare these days

  • @HolyGolyMoly
    @HolyGolyMoly Pƙed 2 lety

    What an absolutely staggering piece of equipment. Mind-Blown. Thank you very much for showcasing it for us, and for creating an overwhelming craving for this piece of equipment in myself and probably thousands of others. Hard to believe that such power can exist in such a compact, plug-and-play form.

  • @petergriffin1141
    @petergriffin1141 Pƙed 3 lety

    absolutely loved it !! keep up the good work !!

  • @bur1t0
    @bur1t0 Pƙed 3 lety

    Truly amazing. Not even at 30k subscribers and already I've seen people refer to this channel in the same sentence as Tech Ingredients, Thought Emporium, and Applied Science. I salute you!

  • @TriunfoGim
    @TriunfoGim Pƙed rokem

    Congrats to you and to ICSPI because both have done a good deal. I think the two of you should be pretty happy

  • @DarkRedHorse
    @DarkRedHorse Pƙed rokem

    I don't comment on many videos, but man...this is seriously one of the coolest and most "I want to make this" videos I have seen in a long time. Thanks!

  • @XXxxGOOOFYxxXX
    @XXxxGOOOFYxxXX Pƙed rokem

    I really appreciate your enthusiasm. This video is super cool and helpful. Thank you.

  • @ivanvoid4910
    @ivanvoid4910 Pƙed 3 lety +1

    best science and filming skills on utube combined for sure!

  • @Michallote
    @Michallote Pƙed 2 lety

    I love the CZcams algorithm, it has lead me to some of the most awesome channels like yours, the summer of maths exposition was awesome. Thought emporium, and some other channel that speaks about Optics. I can't wait to graduate to start doing some experiments in my free time

  • @UNVIRUSLETALE
    @UNVIRUSLETALE Pƙed 3 lety

    Ok, this is REALLY cool, keep up with those amazing videos!

  • @SuperiorDave
    @SuperiorDave Pƙed 3 měsĂ­ci

    Awesome channel. Love the videos. I get so excited to watch the videos. I almost want to speed it up so i can watch them and absorb them faster

  • @PatrickRatman
    @PatrickRatman Pƙed rokem

    honestly you having showed the results at the start of the video encouraged me to watch the rest of the video. most of the time i find it patronizing that i have to skip to the end to see the results.

  • @HimanXK
    @HimanXK Pƙed 3 měsĂ­ci

    This is one of the best explanations of AFM I've seen

  • @rexrodecolt
    @rexrodecolt Pƙed 2 lety

    Wow this is really cool of you to do, thank you! Very Interesting! Seriously!!

  • @lukasausen
    @lukasausen Pƙed 2 lety

    Love your channel im binge watching every video!

  • @squelchstuff
    @squelchstuff Pƙed 3 lety +1

    Fantastic exposition Zach. Congratulations on the deal you made with ICSP too, and thanks to them for making this possible. The axiom goes "Never read the comments" but your channel amongst a few others is an exception to the rule. I think I've spent more time enjoying the comments and thinking about what you've presented than the video actually lasted. I do hope to see more AFM microscopy, and perhaps a home brew setup too.

    • @BreakingTaps
      @BreakingTaps  Pƙed 3 lety

      Agreed! I've learned a ton from folks that watch these videos, really happy the little community of folks that drop by to comment. So pleasant and knowledgeable! :)

  • @oni2ink
    @oni2ink Pƙed 3 lety

    Your demonstration macro-AFM machine is pretty neat!
    And this nGauge AFM is really impressive, I really want to see some integrated circuits on it.

  • @agee1961
    @agee1961 Pƙed 3 lety +2

    "An old 3d printer I had laying around" lol wow it is the future.

  • @SuperiorDave
    @SuperiorDave Pƙed 3 měsĂ­ci

    Awesome pictures at the start. Thank you

  • @outofcontext728
    @outofcontext728 Pƙed 3 lety

    Wow I got this in my recommended and I'm not disappointed this is amazing

  • @gaussmanv2
    @gaussmanv2 Pƙed rokem +2

    There's a bunch of really cool new types of AFMs that also have characterization like the nanoIR from bruker. The same ir peaks seen with an ftir also induce a greater volume change than other wavelengths. The AFM tip detects this change in the surface. You can get 10-20nm characterization resolution and it is very surface sensitive with a penetration of just a few nm. There's also a nano-raman and a nano-ftir.

  • @1.618_Murphy
    @1.618_Murphy Pƙed 2 lety

    You, my friend, is frickin underrated! And this is driving me nuts! 😭😭

  • @alphalunamare
    @alphalunamare Pƙed 2 lety

    Absolutely refreshingly fantastic!

  • @clfung2008
    @clfung2008 Pƙed rokem

    Cool thing ! This kind of microscopic equipment may become very popular and easy to get in the future ! Thanks for sharing and this is really interesting !

  • @ryansauder7701
    @ryansauder7701 Pƙed 3 lety +2

    Incredible tec, really neat to see. Thanks for sharing!
    I would love to see some of the laser induced graphene you made under the AFM!

  • @1.4142
    @1.4142 Pƙed 2 lety

    This topic is so really covered on youtube. subbed

  • @epotis
    @epotis Pƙed 3 lety

    Fantastic video. Love the experimental soundtrack.

  • @agargamer6759
    @agargamer6759 Pƙed 11 měsĂ­ci

    What a cool demo as well!

  • @Skwisgar2322
    @Skwisgar2322 Pƙed 3 lety

    I was lucky enough to get to use one of these in my studies. Very cool stuff, we were able to see single atom thick features in graphite.

  • @sinephase
    @sinephase Pƙed 3 lety

    Awesome and congrats on the gig! :D

  • @Jandodev
    @Jandodev Pƙed 3 lety

    That scans so much faster than I was expecting!

  • @edwardarruda7215
    @edwardarruda7215 Pƙed 2 lety

    Used one in university physical chemistry lab experiments at Rutgers about 20 years ago. The one I used was on a heavy anti vibration table and it used a piezoelectric stage.

  • @TheClumsyFairy
    @TheClumsyFairy Pƙed 3 lety +1

    - So next week we will be building an MRI scanner...
    Like every time I see Breaking Taps I genuinely beam with excitement to see how the hell he's going to outdo the last video. And although he didn't say he would be building an MRI scanner, I bet most people thought "When did he say that", rather than "Don't be silly"..

  • @VincentGroenewold
    @VincentGroenewold Pƙed 3 lety

    So amazing, how come you're not at at least 100K yet? I am very impressed that little device is precise enough to do this, you'd expect way more mass in the system to make it stable.

  • @smellsofbikes
    @smellsofbikes Pƙed 3 lety +1

    This is fantastic, it's a well-done video, and I loved the almost subliminal 'boop' when the probe contacted.

    • @BreakingTaps
      @BreakingTaps  Pƙed 3 lety +1

      Thanks! ❀ I couldn't resist the boop haha 😂

  • @SonyFoLife
    @SonyFoLife Pƙed 3 lety

    Wow. Love this. Immediately subscribing! CZcams algorithm got me figured out by now

  • @tituscassiusseverus6303
    @tituscassiusseverus6303 Pƙed 3 lety

    I so need one of these, I have absolutely no idea why, but it's sooo damn cool!

  • @patrick1532
    @patrick1532 Pƙed 3 lety

    Gotta love those compliant translation mechanisms.

  • @gmeast
    @gmeast Pƙed 3 lety

    I'm used to dealing with the likes of rocket motor turbo-pumps, but I must say, your presentation, here, is most satisfying in the realization that the world of macro vs. the world of micro share the same 'data' challenges ... I.O.W. ..."Parts are Parts". Thanks ... I've subscribed.

  • @antonleimbach648
    @antonleimbach648 Pƙed rokem

    The similarities between a needle on a record player tracking a grove on an LP are so cool.

  • @wmhilton-old
    @wmhilton-old Pƙed 3 lety

    This is ABSOLUTELY FREAKING COOL!!!

  • @gokdude
    @gokdude Pƙed 3 lety

    First video I've seen of yours, and I subbed. 👍

  • @6ixpool520
    @6ixpool520 Pƙed 3 lety

    This channel is fantastic man, just be patient and keep at it! Exponential growth rates look linear at first, you'll be at a million subs in no time!

  • @rickharriss
    @rickharriss Pƙed 2 lety

    I once worked for a company that produced negatives for the IC industry. The plotter which use a light beam to expose a flat film had a requirement to be able to plot a point, move 10 mm away and return to that point +/- 1.5 microns in all directions. The manual said adjust until this is achieved. It often took a long time as part of the adjustment was mechanical and adjusting a mechanical component is a matter of luck and trial and error. Fun though.

  • @benmcreynolds8581
    @benmcreynolds8581 Pƙed 3 lety

    This literally looks like a electron microscope scan... That's crazy awesome

  • @jackking5567
    @jackking5567 Pƙed 3 lety

    This is one of those things that I'd thought about that it could possibility be done and yet here we are not only has it been done but it's also a mass produced product with full support that does it very well and quickly. That in itself blows my mind never mind the small scale of scanning it can do.