Zhejiang University develops RFID new nanosphere probe technology that can be used in biomaterials and other disciplines

The reporter learned from Zhejiang University a few days ago that the team of researcher Hu Huan of the school, in cooperation with the team of IBM Watson Research Center and Professor Peng Yitian of Donghua University, has invented a new type of nanosphere probe technology that can accurately measure the interface between nanometer and micrometer. , Fills the vacancy of this scale and solves the important technical bottleneck in the field of nanotribology.

The atomic force microscope is used to study the "force" when objects are in contact. Its core component probe is like the "tentacles" of insects, which can convert the force on the sample surface into the bending of the micro cantilever, which is then detected by the laser beam. Among them, the spherical atomic force probe has more advantages in deformation, hardness, and mechanical properties. However, the size of the traditional spherical atomic force probe is 1-10 microns, and there is a blind spot in the measurement of the nanometer scale. At the same time, the spherical probe is pasted by glue, and the pasting position is difficult to control, which will affect the accuracy, and will easily fall off when encountering high temperature or liquid.

"The high-energy helium ion beam can be focused into a beam spot with a diameter of about 0.5 nanometers. Like an ultra-small knife, it can cut materials at the nanometer scale at will, but implanting the high-energy helium ion beam into a silicon substrate will form a bump. "Hu Huan said that the research team conducted the first experiment using the helium ion uplift effect to make nanosphere probes. A platform is engraved on the probe of an ordinary atomic force microscope by focused ion etching, and a high-energy helium ion beam is injected after precise positioning on the platform, which makes the monocrystalline silicon bulge and realizes a stable and reliable nanosphere probe technology manufacturing process. A spherical probe with high resolution, high accuracy and high temperature resistance is made, and the diameter of the needle tip can be precisely adjusted between 100 nanometers and 1 micron.