Kleindiek Nanotechnik Makes Force Measurement Inside SEM/FIB Easy

Kleindiek Nanotechnik have partnered with EM Resolutions, a Saffron Walden-based consumables and accessories supplier for electron microscopy, to supply and install their range of MM3A nanomanipulators and force measurement systems to the UK research community.

For example, FMS-EM force measurement systems are enabling researchers at Imperial College London to investigate the root cause of failures in electrochemical devices such as fuel cells and batteries. Imperial College is also using them for testing during the development of nano robots and other nanostructures.

The FMS-EM is a compact force readout tool that allows tensile measurements to be made inside an SEM/FIB. Whilst existing devices for mechanical testing have either the necessary spatial or force resolution, they rarely have both. It overcomes these limitations by using a highly sensitive piezoresistive AFM tip attached to a MM3A-EM micromanipulator.

The force measurement tip can be positioned and oriented with high precision at the exact area of interest on the structure to be measured. Force feedback is displayed on the controller and is coupled with a loudspeaker to enable the user to intuitively characterize materials and micromechanical structures by their resonance frequencies.

The sharp silicon tips also allow the FMS-EM to be used for nanoindentation experiments in a wide variety of materials. The system offers a complete force measurement solution including software for data acquisition, visualization and export.

Kleindiek Nanotechnik will attend mmc2015, stand #605. On Tuesday 30th June at 12:30, they will be giving a workshop on Micromanipulation in Microscopy: handling and characterizing nanostructures.

This is free to attend for attendees of this year's premier UK microscopy event. Visitors are invited to attend the workshop or just come along to meet representatives from Kleindiek and EM Resolutions to see the exciting range of micromanipulators and nanotools.