Thin film sensor systems based on hydrogenated carbon have the advantage to combine two very important
characteristics. They show a piezoresistive behaviour and also a tribological stability caused by a high hardness and wear
resistance. Therefore they can be applied on the surface of machine parts or used for building up universal insertable
sensor systems like sensory washers.
A real challenge is the deposition of a whole sensory layer system on technical components like a spindle, which have
a length of 480 mm and an outer diameter of about 90 mm. The functions of the layer system directly applied in the
contact zone between spindle shaft and tool holder are the measurement of the clamping force of the tool holder, the
imbalance of the used tool and the process forces during machining. For this application a self-contained thin film sensor
system is investigated. Directly in the spindle shaft an insulating alumina layer is deposited in a thickness of about 4 μm
followed by electrode structures out of 200 nm thin chromium coating. On top of this the piezoresistive hydrogenated
carbon layer in a thickness of about 1 μm is deposited, covered by a wear resistant and insulating top coating. Therefore a
silicon and oxygen modified carbon layer in a thickness of about 2 μm is used. The piezoresistive sensor layer and also the
top layer are part of the diamond like carbon layer family [1,2,3,4].
Another very important application is the sensory washer. The thin film sensor system, consisting out of the
piezoresistive sensor layer deposited directly on the washer surface, the electrode structures out of chromium for the local
detection of the load distribution in the washer system and the insulating layer as top layer out of the silicon and oxygen
modified carbon layer, has a thickness in the range of 9 μm. In the latest investigations this layer system is connected with
a RFID-chip for contactless data transmission.
KEYWORDS: Image segmentation, Atomic force microscopy, Image processing algorithms and systems, Principal component analysis, Detection and tracking algorithms, Sensors, Time metrology, Velocity measurements, Metrology, Interferometers
The Nanometer-Coordinate-Measuring-Machine(NCMM) has been developed for comparatively fast large area scans with
high resolution for measuring critical dimensions. The system combines a metrological atomic force microscope (AFM)
with a precise positioning system. The sample is moved under the probe system via the positioning system achieving a
scan range of 25 x 25 x 5 mm with a resolution of 0.1 nm. A concept for critical dimension measurement using a-prioriknowledge
is implemented. A-priori-knowledge is generated through measurements with a white light interferometer and
the use of CAD data. Dimensional markup language (DML) is used as a transfer and target format for a-priori-knowledge
and measurement data. Using a-priori-knowledge and template matching algorithms combined with the optical microscope
of the NCMM, the region of interest can be identified automatically. In the next step an automatic measurement of the
part coordinate system and the measurement elements with the AFM sensor of the NCMM is performed. Automatic
measurement involves intelligent measurement strategies, which are adapted to specific geometries of the measurement
features to reduce measurement time and uncertainty.
The Nanometer-Coordinate-Measuring-Machine (NCMM) has the ability to scan large areas at nanometer resolution for
the purpose of quality assurance of nanostructured products. The device combines a conventional atomic force
microscope (AFM) with a precise positioning system. By locating the AFM at a fixed point and moving the sample with
the positioning system a scan range of 2.5 x 2.5 x 0.5 cm3 and a repeatability of 0.1 nm is achieved. Since all movements
of the positioning system are measured via laser interferometers, the Abbe-principle is kept in every dimension, the use
of materials with a low thermal expansion coefficient (like Zerodur and FeNi36) and an overall coordinate system the
system provides unique measurement conditions (traceability to the meter definition; repeatable and fast scans of the
region of interest). In the past the NCMM was used to make the first large area scan of a microelectronic sample. Our
present work focuses on automating critical dimension measurement through the use of a-priori-knowledge of the sample
and optical navigation. A-priori-knowledge can be generated by the use of CAD-Data of the sample or scans with white
light interferometry. Another present objective is the optimization of the measurement parameters for specific sample
topologies using simulation and also empirical methods like the Ziegler-Nichols method. The need of efficient data
processing and handling is also part of our current research.
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