M. G. Ruppert; A. J. Fleming; Y. K. Yong Active atomic force microscope cantilevers with integrated device layer piezoresistive sensors Journal Article Sensors & Actuators: A. Physical, 2021. Abstract | Links | BibTeX @article{Ruppert2021,
title = {Active atomic force microscope cantilevers with integrated device layer piezoresistive sensors},
author = {M. G. Ruppert and A. J. Fleming and Y. K. Yong},
doi = {10.1016/j.sna.2020.112519},
year = {2021},
date = {2021-01-19},
journal = {Sensors & Actuators: A. Physical},
abstract = {Active atomic force microscope cantilevers with on-chip actuation and sensing provide several advantages over
passive cantilevers which rely on piezoacoustic base-excitation and optical beam deflection measurement. Active
microcantilevers exhibit a clean frequency response, provide a path-way to miniturization and parallelization and
avoid the need for optical alignment. However, active microcantilevers are presently limited by the feedthrough
between actuators and sensors, and by the cost associated with custom microfabrication. In this work, we propose
a hybrid cantilever design with integrated piezoelectric actuators and a piezoresistive sensor fabricated from the
silicon device layer without requiring an additional doping step. As a result, the design can be fabricated using a
commercial five-mask microelectromechanical systems fabrication process. The theoretical piezoresistor sensitivity
is compared with finite element simulations and experimental results obtained from a prototype device. The
proposed approach is demonstrated to be a promising alternative to conventional microcantilever actuation and
deflection sensing},
keywords = {},
pubstate = {published},
tppubtype = {article}
}
Active atomic force microscope cantilevers with on-chip actuation and sensing provide several advantages over
passive cantilevers which rely on piezoacoustic base-excitation and optical beam deflection measurement. Active
microcantilevers exhibit a clean frequency response, provide a path-way to miniturization and parallelization and
avoid the need for optical alignment. However, active microcantilevers are presently limited by the feedthrough
between actuators and sensors, and by the cost associated with custom microfabrication. In this work, we propose
a hybrid cantilever design with integrated piezoelectric actuators and a piezoresistive sensor fabricated from the
silicon device layer without requiring an additional doping step. As a result, the design can be fabricated using a
commercial five-mask microelectromechanical systems fabrication process. The theoretical piezoresistor sensitivity
is compared with finite element simulations and experimental results obtained from a prototype device. The
proposed approach is demonstrated to be a promising alternative to conventional microcantilever actuation and
deflection sensing |
M. S. Xavier; A. J. Fleming; Y. K. Yong Finite Element Modeling of Soft Fluidic Actuators: Overview and Recent Developments Journal Article Finite Element Modeling of Soft Fluidic Actuators: Overview and Recent Developments, pp. 2000187, 2020. Abstract | Links | BibTeX @article{Xavier2020,
title = {Finite Element Modeling of Soft Fluidic Actuators: Overview and Recent Developments},
author = {M. S. Xavier and A. J. Fleming and Y. K. Yong},
url = {https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1002/aisy.202000187http://www.precisionmechatronicslab.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/document.pdf},
doi = {10.1002/aisy.202000187},
year = {2020},
date = {2020-10-30},
journal = {Finite Element Modeling of Soft Fluidic Actuators: Overview and Recent Developments},
pages = {2000187},
abstract = {Many soft robots are composed of soft fluidic actuators that are fabricated from silicone rubbers and use hydraulic or pneumatic actuation. The strong nonlinearities and complex geometries of soft actuators hinder the development of analytical models to describe their motion. Finite element modeling provides an effective solution to this issue and allows the user to predict performance and optimize soft actuator designs. Herein, the literature on a finite element analysis of soft actuators is reviewed. First, the required nonlinear elasticity concepts are introduced with a focus on the relevant models for soft robotics. In particular, the procedure for determining material constants for the hyperelastic models from material testing and curve fitting is explored. Then, a comprehensive review of constitutive model parameters for the most widely used silicone rubbers in the literature is provided. An overview of the procedure is provided for three commercially available software packages (Abaqus, Ansys, and COMSOL). The combination of modeling procedures, material properties, and design guidelines presented in this article can be used as a starting point for soft robotic actuator design.},
keywords = {},
pubstate = {published},
tppubtype = {article}
}
Many soft robots are composed of soft fluidic actuators that are fabricated from silicone rubbers and use hydraulic or pneumatic actuation. The strong nonlinearities and complex geometries of soft actuators hinder the development of analytical models to describe their motion. Finite element modeling provides an effective solution to this issue and allows the user to predict performance and optimize soft actuator designs. Herein, the literature on a finite element analysis of soft actuators is reviewed. First, the required nonlinear elasticity concepts are introduced with a focus on the relevant models for soft robotics. In particular, the procedure for determining material constants for the hyperelastic models from material testing and curve fitting is explored. Then, a comprehensive review of constitutive model parameters for the most widely used silicone rubbers in the literature is provided. An overview of the procedure is provided for three commercially available software packages (Abaqus, Ansys, and COMSOL). The combination of modeling procedures, material properties, and design guidelines presented in this article can be used as a starting point for soft robotic actuator design. |
A. J. Fleming; M. G. Ruppert; B. S. Routley; L. McCourt Overcoming the Limitations of Tip Enhanced Raman Spectroscopy with Intermittent Contact AFM Conference 8th Multifrequency AFM Conference, Madrid, Spain, 2020. Abstract | BibTeX @conference{Fleming2020,
title = {Overcoming the Limitations of Tip Enhanced Raman Spectroscopy with Intermittent Contact AFM},
author = {A. J. Fleming and M. G. Ruppert and B. S. Routley and L. McCourt},
year = {2020},
date = {2020-10-27},
booktitle = {8th Multifrequency AFM Conference},
address = {Madrid, Spain},
abstract = {Tip enhanced Raman spectroscopy (TERS) is a promising technique for mapping the chemical composition of surfaces with molecular scale. However, current TERS methods are limited by a number of issues including high tip-sample forces, high laser power, low topographical resolution, and short probe lifetime. As a result, TERS methods are best suited to robust samples that can tolerate high optical intensity. To overcome these issues and extend the application of TERS to delicate samples, a number of new probes andimaging modes are in development at the University of Newcastle. This talk will provide an overview of these methods and present preliminary results, including new methods for optical probe optimization and fabrication, and a new dynamic-mode AFM method to reduce contact forces and applied laser power.},
keywords = {},
pubstate = {published},
tppubtype = {conference}
}
Tip enhanced Raman spectroscopy (TERS) is a promising technique for mapping the chemical composition of surfaces with molecular scale. However, current TERS methods are limited by a number of issues including high tip-sample forces, high laser power, low topographical resolution, and short probe lifetime. As a result, TERS methods are best suited to robust samples that can tolerate high optical intensity. To overcome these issues and extend the application of TERS to delicate samples, a number of new probes andimaging modes are in development at the University of Newcastle. This talk will provide an overview of these methods and present preliminary results, including new methods for optical probe optimization and fabrication, and a new dynamic-mode AFM method to reduce contact forces and applied laser power. |
M. G. Ruppert; D. M. Harcombe; A. J. Fleming Traditional and Novel Demodulators for Multifrequency Atomic Force Microscopy Conference 8th Multifrequency AFM Conference, Madrid, Spain, 2020. Abstract | BibTeX @conference{Ruppert2020b,
title = {Traditional and Novel Demodulators for Multifrequency Atomic Force Microscopy},
author = {M. G. Ruppert and D. M. Harcombe and A. J. Fleming},
year = {2020},
date = {2020-10-27},
booktitle = {8th Multifrequency AFM Conference},
address = {Madrid, Spain},
abstract = {A number of multifrequency atomic force microscopy (MF-AFM) methods make use of the excitation and detection of higher harmonics of the fundamental frequency, higher flexural eigenmodes or intermodulation products generated by the non-linear tip-sample force [1]. Schematically, these methods are depicted in Figure 1(a) where the main difference is the resulting spacing and amplitude of the frequency components in the generated spectrum shown in Figure 1(b). Regardless of which particular MF-AFM method is employed, each requires a demodulator to obtain amplitude and phase to form observables for the characterization of nanomechanical sample information. Since high-speed non-synchronous demodulators such as the peak-hold method, peak detector and RMS-to-DC converter are incompatible with MF-AFM [2], there is a need for high-bandwidth demodulation techniques capable of estimating multiple frequencies at once while maintaining robustness against unwanted frequency components [3]. In this talk, the performance of traditional and recently proposed demodulators for multifrequency atomic force microscopy is assessed experimentally. The compared methods include the lock-in amplifier, coherent demodulator, Kalman filter, Lyapunov filter, and direct-design demodulator. Each method is implemented on a field-programmable gate array (FPGA) with a sampling rate of 1.5 MHz. The metrics for comparison include implementation complexity, the sensitivity to other frequency components and the magnitude of demodulation artifacts for a range of demodulator bandwidths. Performance differences are demonstrated through higher harmonic atomic force microscopy imaging.},
keywords = {},
pubstate = {published},
tppubtype = {conference}
}
A number of multifrequency atomic force microscopy (MF-AFM) methods make use of the excitation and detection of higher harmonics of the fundamental frequency, higher flexural eigenmodes or intermodulation products generated by the non-linear tip-sample force [1]. Schematically, these methods are depicted in Figure 1(a) where the main difference is the resulting spacing and amplitude of the frequency components in the generated spectrum shown in Figure 1(b). Regardless of which particular MF-AFM method is employed, each requires a demodulator to obtain amplitude and phase to form observables for the characterization of nanomechanical sample information. Since high-speed non-synchronous demodulators such as the peak-hold method, peak detector and RMS-to-DC converter are incompatible with MF-AFM [2], there is a need for high-bandwidth demodulation techniques capable of estimating multiple frequencies at once while maintaining robustness against unwanted frequency components [3]. In this talk, the performance of traditional and recently proposed demodulators for multifrequency atomic force microscopy is assessed experimentally. The compared methods include the lock-in amplifier, coherent demodulator, Kalman filter, Lyapunov filter, and direct-design demodulator. Each method is implemented on a field-programmable gate array (FPGA) with a sampling rate of 1.5 MHz. The metrics for comparison include implementation complexity, the sensitivity to other frequency components and the magnitude of demodulation artifacts for a range of demodulator bandwidths. Performance differences are demonstrated through higher harmonic atomic force microscopy imaging.  |
L. McCourt; M. G. Ruppert; B. S. Routley; S. Indirathankam; A. J. Fleming A comparison of gold and silver nanocones and geometry optimisation for tip-enhanced microscopy Journal Article Journal of Raman Spectroscopy, pp. 1-9, 2020. Abstract | Links | BibTeX @article{McCourt2020,
title = {A comparison of gold and silver nanocones and geometry optimisation for tip-enhanced microscopy},
author = {L. McCourt and M. G. Ruppert and B. S. Routley and S. Indirathankam and A. J. Fleming},
url = {http://www.precisionmechatronicslab.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/J20e.pdf},
doi = {https://doi.org/10.1002/jrs.5987},
year = {2020},
date = {2020-08-24},
journal = {Journal of Raman Spectroscopy},
pages = {1-9},
abstract = {In this article, boundary element method simulations are used to optimise the
geometry of silver and gold nanocone probes to maximise the localised electric
field enhancement and tune the near-field resonance wavelength. These objectives
are expected to maximise the sensitivity of tip-enhanced Raman microscopes.
Similar studies have used limited parameter sets or used a performance
metric other than localised electric field enhancement. In this article, the optical
responses for a range of nanocone geometries are simulated for excitation
wavelengths ranging from 400 to 1000 nm. Performance is evaluated by measuring
the electric field enhancement at the sample surface with a resonant
illumination wavelength. These results are then used to determine empirical
models and derive optimal nanocone geometries for a particular illumination
wavelength and tip material. This article concludes that gold nanocones are
expected to provide similar performance to silver nanocones at red and nearinfrared
wavelengths, which is consistent with other results in the literature.
In this article, 633 nm is determined to be the shortest usable illumination
wavelength for gold nanocones. Below this limit, silver nanocones will provide
superior enhancement. The use of gold nanocone probes is expected to dramatically
improve probe lifetime, which is currently measured in hours for silver
coated probes. Furthermore, the elimination of passivation coatings is expected
to enable smaller probe radii and improved topographical resolution.},
keywords = {},
pubstate = {published},
tppubtype = {article}
}
In this article, boundary element method simulations are used to optimise the
geometry of silver and gold nanocone probes to maximise the localised electric
field enhancement and tune the near-field resonance wavelength. These objectives
are expected to maximise the sensitivity of tip-enhanced Raman microscopes.
Similar studies have used limited parameter sets or used a performance
metric other than localised electric field enhancement. In this article, the optical
responses for a range of nanocone geometries are simulated for excitation
wavelengths ranging from 400 to 1000 nm. Performance is evaluated by measuring
the electric field enhancement at the sample surface with a resonant
illumination wavelength. These results are then used to determine empirical
models and derive optimal nanocone geometries for a particular illumination
wavelength and tip material. This article concludes that gold nanocones are
expected to provide similar performance to silver nanocones at red and nearinfrared
wavelengths, which is consistent with other results in the literature.
In this article, 633 nm is determined to be the shortest usable illumination
wavelength for gold nanocones. Below this limit, silver nanocones will provide
superior enhancement. The use of gold nanocone probes is expected to dramatically
improve probe lifetime, which is currently measured in hours for silver
coated probes. Furthermore, the elimination of passivation coatings is expected
to enable smaller probe radii and improved topographical resolution. |
