highlights
• 1 to 2 nm accuracy in static measurements
• 10 nm accuracy in dynamic measurements
• 95 engineers worked on a successful redesign
complete makeover.
There are systems on the market that can measure freeform lenses with 40 to 50 nm accuracy, where 8 to 10 nm accuracy from all angles is required. TNO and TU Eindhoven developed the Nanomefos platform that was capable of that. Demcon took this as the starting point to develop a completely made-over commercial system for fast, contactless and highly accurate metrology. The team was lucky to have Rens Henselmans on board, who was involved in the initial Nanomefos development.
accuracy to the max.
Accuracy and stability are key to Nanomefos. A number of clever tricks were applied to attain 1 to 2 nm accuracy in static and 10 nm in dynamic measurements.
One of these is to first quickly measure over the axes of the object. Subsequently, the object is read like a compact disc for ten to fifteen minutes. This time-lapse typically leads to a considerable drift, that can be corrected thanks to the first quick measurement.
In order to measure accurately, it is also vital to exactly know the position of the probe relative to the object. Silicon carbide beams guarantee basic mechanical stability. Interferometry is used to define the position of the probe and object in space. Both vary hundreds of nanometers during measurement, but correctional calculations compensate for that.
"success for a large multidisciplinary development team."
With a team of 95 engineers, we managed to successfully redesign a prototype into a commercial product. The team covered software, mechanics, electronics, optics, data analysis and data processing competencies alongside specializations within these fields. So far, DUI built three of these highly specialized systems and four more are being built now. That is quite an accomplishment and is very satisfactory.
more cases & tech insights.
Cracking the glass code
We have grown accustomed to metal and concrete printing. But glass? It not only has a very high melting point, it also becomes brittle after solidifying too quickly. Together with the German specialist in advanced solutions from high-performance materials QSIL we cracked the ‘glass code’.
Read more
Use cases in machine learning for time series
It is essential that the ventilator support is synchronized (in time) with the patient’s spontaneous breaths. A mismatch in this timing is referred to as Patient-Ventilator Asynchrony (PVA). To improve the patient’s comfort and recovery this PVA must be prevented. A key step in this process is the detection and classification of PVA.
Read moreDSPE knowledge day engineering for cryogenics.
Despite storm Ciarán, nearly 40 professionals gathered at ASTRON during the DSPE Knowledge Day to explore challenges and innovations in cryogenic engineering.
Read more
Piezoelectric damping of a 6-DoF vibration isolation frame
The performance of precision mechanisms can be limited by disturbing vibrations that are amplified at parasitic eigenfrequencies. Piezoelectric patches that are integrated into flexures have been shown to be a promising approach for actively suppressing parasitic modes.
Read more