Development of a precision indentation and scratching system with a tool force and displacement control module

This article presents a tip-based micropatterning system with a precision device for measuring the machine force and the tool path. The machine force is obtained by a tool control module with a leaf spring and a capacitive displacement sensor. It is controlled to provide a force that ranges from 80 microN to 8 N. The force sensing unit, which is part of the module, is mounted on a PZT (PbZrTi) driven in-feed motion stage with a resolution of 1 nm. The work piece is set on an X-Y motion stage, and the position can be controlled with a tool path accuracy of 5 nm. Micropatterning and precision indentation experiments were performed, while the machined surfaces were examined by atomic force microscopy. From these results, the feasibility of the system for precise force-displacement control was verified for application in tip-based precision machining.