1,000,000x Magnification with Atomic Force Microscope

[@dienelt5661]

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

[@annaw.1951]

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]

This guy has a PhD degree

[@shadowknight7584]

I agree

[@geobot9k]

That alone got me to sub

[@aaronnekrin5150]

Super absolute legend

[@MatryxMayhem]

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]

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]

@@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]

@Stellvia Hoenheim ..... Pls stop.

[@jeffmorris9893]

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]

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

[@RememberingMaryEvely]

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]

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]

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?

[@p41nk1ller2]

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]

@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.

[@satrioarif1797]

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]

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

[@theman13532]

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

[@199NickYT]

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

[@faxezu]

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]

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 :)

[@t0k4m4k7]

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

[@deepspacemachines]

macroscope :o

[@t0k4m4k7]

@@deepspacemachines lol true

[@x1Conan3Spartan0x]

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]

@d3adsoulja i meant the macroscopic one

[@WmSrite-pi8ck]

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

[@Justin-dv7ul]

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]

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]

@@absolute___zero That’s true too

[@iain3713]

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

[@BreakingTaps]

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

[@claypotts2334]

@Stellvia Hoenheim Stellvia of the Universe

[@andrewphillip8432]

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

[@blahblahblahblah2933]

Nah, 2021 owes us.

[@ExtantFrodo2]

2021? We should have halfway mature universal assemblers.

[@andrewphillip8432]

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

[@ExtantFrodo2]

@@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]

@@ExtantFrodo2 Personal spacecraft?

[@u_t2347]

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]

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]

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]

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

[@1SmokedTurkey1]

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

[@Ygr3ku]

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

[@eVITORIOe]

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

[@pawesomepal7827]

you can see that with a regular microscope

[@milothedestroyerify]

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

[@RaduOleniuc]

@@milothedestroyerify you can remove the foil.

[@holemajora598]

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

[@DiggaDiggaDug]

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

[@brertt8350]

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

[@amoose136]

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]

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

[@caseyjones7404]

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]

'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]

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

[@oni2ink]

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

[@zeropoint5794]

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!

[@z4lper]

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]

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!

[@ugurunver2403]

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.

[@CrazyMineCuber]

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]

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

[@_John_P]

@@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]

​@@_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 :)

[@TheBauwssss]

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 KZbinrs 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]

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]

@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

[@HuygensOptics]

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]

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]

@@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]

​@@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 :)

[@Ratkill]

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]

That was amazing. Not what I expected.

[@hullinstruments]

Dude your channel is just awesome. This is going to get so much attention from so many huge KZbinrs 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!

[@MuditGupta89]

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

[@23chaos23]

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

[@reyariass]

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

[@Galeere2]

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

[@pyromen321]

“Glompy” is a perfectly cromulent word

[@gaussmanv2]

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.

[@ShubhamBhushanCC]

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

[@BreakingTaps]

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

[@CodingTheSystem]

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

[@NvTwist]

That is one of the coolest tools I’ve seen… & the scans are so quick. 🤯

[@DiggaDiggaDug]

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

[@TheClumsyFairy]

- 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"..

[@thepilotmaster777]

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

[@mierbeuker8148]

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. 🤣🤣🤣

[@ColinMacKenzieRobots]

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

[@mierbeuker8148]

@@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]

@@mierbeuker8148 I'm worried about ya man

[@zagmongor]

That looks like a fun little machine to use. I'd be scanning literally every surface in my house that I could fit on the platform. I never would have imagined an AFM would be in such a small and simple package. Even then I bet it's still pretty expensive. Would that be able to measure the profile of a lens without damaging it?

[@danielabbey7726]

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

[@BreakingTaps]

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]

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

[@gmeast]

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.

[@party4keeps28]

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

[@RafaelAcurcio]

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 KZbin for the recommendation, subscribed.

[@Runefrag]

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

[@sinephase]

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

[@spartamerican6758]

Still waiting for those atomic shots....

[@natalie5947]

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.

[@billpeiman8973]

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

[@jimquinn]

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

[@blahblahblahblah2933]

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

[@billpeiman8973]

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

[@jimquinn]

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

[@jimquinn]

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

[@squelchstuff]

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]

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! :)

[@michaelmazarakis6796]

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]

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.

[@Joshualbm]

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.

[@DEtchells]

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]

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

[@DEtchells]

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

[@bur1t0]

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!

[@RiffZifnab]

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

[@LeoMakes]

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!)

[@skrame01]

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

[@Michallote]

I love the KZbin 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

[@PXIOMXTIC]

ah yes use the smol to see more smol

[@ActuallyImaginary]

"Here's the surface of a precision ground gauge block" Missed a spot Post video edit: Wow, that is some seriously interesting tech. It seems so crude and archaic to just kind of smack something with a stick to look at it; especially on those scales, I would almost think it would effect the results a lot more. That is really fascinating

[@BreakingTaps]

*Addendum* - More footage of the probe scanning here: kzbin.info/www/bejne/o2G4fGqCi7iNbsk - 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]

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

[@BreakingTaps]

@@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]

JET map for the win

[@LanceThumping]

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]

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!

[@leovalenzuela8368]

"...it seemed like a crime to wait till the end of the video to show those." Never have I ever subscribed to a new (to me) youtuber in my life.

[@PatrickRatman]

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.

[@stephenhu9561]

I'm actually impressed. How is your voice not causing any scan interference? How is it scanning that quick, 20x20um would take up to an hour in my experience. This is eye opening

[@jackhenry8289]

This is a brilliant, fascinating video. The research you have done here is incredible. I have been doing a PhD in the NC-AFM (Non-Contact Atomic Force Microscopy) for nearly 3 years now, and I am impressed by the volume of knowledge you have expressed in this video. I thought I'd give a little extension to your brilliant video. I'm sure you came across NC-AFM during your research, however in case you didn't I'll give a quick overview of the power and sheer 'amaze' factor of NC-AFM compared to conventional AFM. In NC-AFM we will create tips that are atomically sharp. As in the apex of the AFM tip is a single atom, which we often pick up from the surface that we are imaging. This lets us get down to pm (pico-meter) resolution, with a typical image taken at ~10 pm resolution (SI=10^1m, mm=10^-3m, um=10^-6m, nm=10^-9m, pm=10^-12m). Some truly amazing images have been taken. The most famous image is an image of a Pentacene molecule, taken with a CO AFM tip. You can literally see the covalent bonds between the Carbon atoms, within the Pentacene molecule, and even the 'bowed' shape of the molecule on the surface. How do we do this? We oscillate our tip above the sample (hence the Non-Contact phrase), rather than letting it touch the sample like in the tapping mode technique you demonstrated here. Our samples are typically under Ultra High Vacuum Conditions (UHV), and the most beautiful images are also taken at 5K. 5K being 5 centigrade above absolute zero, we achieve this by cooling our equipment with liquid helium. Finally, the 'AFM machine', with all it's supporting equipment, is about the size of a car. I hope people found this interesting.

[@BreakingTaps]

This is really fascinating, thanks for sharing! I'm continually amazed by how big and fascinating the field of AFM/scanning probe techniques is. Picometer! So cool!

[@rickharriss]

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.

[@tobuslieven]

They need to send one of these things to Applied Science, This Old Tony and Clickspring too. You guys are marketing gold dust. Well done for getting hold of one. Great video.

[@tobuslieven]

@Stellvia Hoenheim Don't shit your pants man.

[@ryanbarakeris2853]

He deffently valid for showing the results at the start

[@TriunfoGim]

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

[@ZombieSS77]

I love that some of the most precise measurement techniques can be described as "poking it with a stick".

[@ivanvoid4910]

best science and filming skills on utube combined for sure!

[@DarkRedHorse]

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!

[@agee1961]

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

[@Alexander_Sannikov]

i'm honestly more interested in the machine that you made rather than the commercial one. even though the setup is janky, it works remarkably well. i'd love to see how far you could push it if you actually tried.

[@BreakingTaps]

Yeah it turned out remarkably good! I really wasn't expecting much but it definitely surprised me. I'm thinking about ways to improve it for a v2, something a little less duct-taped together. I think with a bit of love it could actually be a useful tool, and maybe hit micron-level precision with some reliability. Honestly just needs a better stage and a smaller/faster cantilever (and maybe some better electronics to sense the back-EMF). Or perhaps something that could be bolted onto 3D printers in general. I'm thinking about reaching out to some more EE-minded youtubers and see if we could collab on something. Dunno, but it's on the "things to investigate" list for sure :)

[@Alexander_Sannikov]

@@BreakingTaps i think you're right on "smaller/faster probe". you don't need nearly as much amplitude for vibration, it just needs to wiggle at higher amplitude than the maximum height difference, right? i also don't really like the idea of using a 3d printer for positioning, because i think it'd limit the resolution greatly. the positioning system you used in the previous video looked way more interesting.

[@BreakingTaps]

​@@Alexander_Sannikov Yep, the oscillation just needs to clear the largest feature basically that you would encounter within a single step. So smaller probe == smaller maximum discrete height change from pixel to pixel, but also faster acquisition time. I didnt have time to get into it, but my software basically calculates the amplitude from the most recent few samples, and then does some simple moving averages to smooth out noise. Faster oscillations mean the amplitude would "settle" in much faster. Better software would help too, kalman filtering or other techniques. :) And ++ OpenFlexure would work great. Only downside is the very small XY range. But it'd be a perfect fit for a miniatured cantilever!

[@Alexander_Sannikov]

​@@BreakingTaps i like the idea of using flexible joints in such high precision mechanisms, because they should allow way higher precision from the same manufacturing tolerance. so no wonder the entire commercial thing is an alien compliant structure. do you think you could literally copy their compliant mechanism from an image and maybe laser cut it in sheet material? hey about the patreon. i noticed your lowest tier starts with $5 which's considerably higher than they usually are. I think you could get way more overall if you allowed people to make maybe $1-$3/month donations too. also Applied Science runs a really cool scheme where we're paying for each video he makes no matter how long it takes, so he does not have to push projects at any regular schedule.

[@squelchstuff]

@@BreakingTaps Perhaps a magnetic/ceramic (piezo?) cartridge and stylus from a vinyl record player might work for V2? I'm sure they can be driven on half a cycle, and read on the return in a similar manner to the MIT paper. They bear all of the mechanical properties (cantilever, low mass, soft sprung, hard tip) except with a potential resolution in micrometres. [Edit] I've just experienced the hoarders paradox. Keep everything interesting because one day there'll be a use for it. Except, decluttering one's life periodically means those interesting and potentially useful items get thrown out. A few decks and a box of pickups and styli are nowhere to be found. Stereo could have allowed one channel to drive, and the second to read with just a small modification to the pickup cartridge. You've set me on a mission now.

[@HolyGolyMoly]

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.

[@AidanXavier1]

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

[@denispol79]

Cool instrument. As an amateur telescopes builder, I always wanted to see the polished mirror surface. I wonder how smooth would diffraction limited surface look thru atomic force microscope.

[@jersey-dude]

Your enthusiasm makes me all that more excited about this device

[@MasterThief117]

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

[@jskratnyarlathotep8411]

i'm curious what is the scale of pricing for those machines. Quite unfortunate they didn't provide the price on their site directly

[@edwardarruda7215]

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.

[@1.618_Murphy]

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

[@sshado2]

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

[@egs64]

Wow. Finally a non-gigantic object to look at small objects. Definitely subscribed to the channel

[@jonasghafur4940]

seeing on how little time humanity went from steel-ball-airbag accelerometers to this is insane. Semiconductor and MEMS tech was beyond a paradigm shift for sensor tech.

[@javier0161]

If you like this look into SNOM scanning near field optical microscope which is essentially an AFM but also provides optical information such as absorption etc and sub diffraction resolutions. ie you can get nano meter optical resolutions with longer wavelength light such as IR.

[@DETHdressedInRED]

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.

[@RealMaxoou262]

As a machiniste I found your channel so interresting!!!!

[@friedchicken1]

0:36 hey, where's my precision? i want my money back

[@antonleimbach648]

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

[@transistor754]

Fantastic! I also love the comments from people who worked on these, like me. I used a capacitive tip and imaged the 0 and 1's on a floppy disc... cool as! For the lazy people.. 1nm is in the x-ray region.

[@Taypicala]

The technology has only moved forward. Now it is possible to scan at a rate of up to 30 frames/second, so you can observe molecules in action. High-speed AFM allows you to see DNA "dance" for instance. With ultrasharp tips you can also see the major and minor groove of DNA.

[@evilkidm93b]

You could try ellipsometry to check for a diamond layer. The data will allow identification by refractive index. A traditional setup would be: 1 light source, 1 photodetector, 2 polarizers, 2 quarter waveplates that you rotate by hand to 16 different angles.

[@JohnSmith-kf1fc]

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!

[@trouty7947]

This would be so incredibly cool if schools got to play with This and show students nano scale stuff!

[@pvic6959]

my mind is blowing due to the fact how fast this is. we live in a place where this sort of tech will fit in your hand!!! I think it would be super cool to see other things under this scanner like: paper, a rock, clean glass, pencil led, money (paper and coin), plastic sheet, fabric

[@The1SuperAtheist]

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

[@tiftik]

There was a guy on hackaday who DIYed an AFM. For the probe he just took some tungsten wire and pulled it until it snapped. Apparently that's all you need for an atomically sharp probe :)

[@smellsofbikes]

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

[@BreakingTaps]

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

[@aaronsprojects9622]

When your mic started picking that up it almost sounds like someone standing in the doorway across the room slowly letting the air out of a balloon and that image will not leave my mind. 🤣🤣 I done cracked myself up.

[@ryansauder7701]

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!

[@chrisreichelt7202]

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

[@whatthefunction9140]

Most underrated sci channel on yt

[@Tristoo]

on the topic of the EMI on the microphone- you have for instance audacity which is free, and it comes with a spectrometer and a filter curve equalizer. those may perhaps sound complicated but the first just lets you see (visually see) what frequencies are composing your audio in any point in time, and the curve equalizer let's you set the "volume" across the spectrum. so for instance just check when you're speaking what the maximum frequency your voice reaches is (you may even record yourself doing a high note- higher than anything you did in the video just to establish that cut-off point), and then just set the curve to 0 entirely on any range above that. alternatively just use any old spectrum analyzer (can even use the oscilloscope if you just play the audio with a speaker and connect the oscope to the wires) to find out roughly what those frequencies were - and get some appropriately sized mesh to wrap around your microphone that blocks it. something the microphone itself should already do but I guess they weren't expecting it to be used in a lab with all sorts of things making weird uncommon electrical noise if you're good at writing code, you can convert your audio file to .wav, which is uncompressed audio (and thus very easy to parse) and run through it while applying a fourier transform and selectively plucking out those frequencies. they're much higher than your voice so just checking for "above a certain frequency" should suffice. essentially a manual version of the first solution, but hey might come in handy if the frequencies ever reach a range that's also used by your voice - that way you could write a slightly more complicated algorithm to get rid of it, as long as it doesn't jump around too too much. or even just if you want to put an antenna next to your microphone so it captures the same frequencies and you can cancel it out by just roughly subtracting

[@ImDaRealBoi]

It's satisfying to see that the "fuck around and find out" method is still relevant

[@Llohr]

When you edit in the output of the AFM from the laptop screen, maybe superimpose it over the laptop screen and leave the AFM itself visible. I know it's not doing much, but that only helps drive home the tiny dimensions involved, and is more informative than two output screens showing the same thing.

[@BreakingTaps]

Yeah, that was a mistake on my part, there were a bunch of questions/comments to that effect. I added a section to this video which showed what it looked like so that folks could see it in action and get a sense of scale if you're interested! kzbin.info/www/bejne/o2G4fGqCi7iNbsk

[@databang]

I’m guessing the funnest part of having an ATM is dreaming of things to place under it. This might be a silly question, but could you scan the surface tension of a liquid? Or, can you make several scan passes of a respiratory droplet over time as it evaporates or nucleation droplet condensing around a particle. I dunno, I just wanna throw junk underneath it and play all day. Thanks for another neat-o noodle scratcher.

[@BreakingTaps]

Hmm, there are some very "soft" AFMs out there, and some that can work in liquid. I'm not sure if there are any that do both though. Mine is definitely not allowed to be used with liquids, it messes up the MEMs mechanism. But it's an interesting idea to think about! Would be neat to see the scan of a droplet :)

[@outofcontext728]

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