Asylum Research Corporation

Oxford Instruments, Inc.

Oxford Instruments Afm Inc

Other

Oxford Instruments Asylum Research Inc

Dan Bocek

Jason Paul Cleveland

Roger B Proksch

Todd Day

Mario Viani

Clint Callahan

Matthew Klonowski

Matthew Longmire

Roger Carlos Proksch

A single housing with a non-ferromagnetic piezo-driven flexure has primary and secondary coil forms of different diameters, one coaxially inside the other, integrated in the flexure. The cylinders defining the planes of the primary and secondaries do not spatially overlap. The secondary coil forms may be wound in opposite directions and wired to provide a transformer device. Movement of the primary relative to the secondaries in the direction of the central axis of the coils can be differentially detected with high precision.

Integrated micro actuator and LVDT for high precision position measurements

A controller for cantilever-based instruments, including atomic force microscopes, molecular force probe instruments, high-resolution profilometers and chemical or biological sensing probes. The controller samples the output of the photo-detector commonly used to detect cantilever deflection in these instruments with a very fast analog/digital converter (ADC). The resulting digitized representation of the output signal is then processed with field programmable gate arrays and digital signal processors without making use of analog electronics. Analog signal processing is inherently noisy while digital calculations are inherently 'perfect' in that they do not add any random noise to the measured signal. Processing by field programmable gate arrays and digital signal processors maximizes the flexibility of the controller because it can be varied through programming means, without modification of the controller hardware.

Fully digitally controller for cantilever-based instruments

Techniques for coupling with devices that convert displacements into differential voltages and improve the sensitivity of such devices. A transducer operates based on changes of inductances between primary and secondary of a transformer to produce a differential signal that includes a noninverted signal and an inverted signal. A switch receives the noninverted signal and the inverted signal. A processor creates a square wave signal for driving the transducer input, and also digitally creates an inverted transducer output. A filter operates to filter the square wave output from the processor to produce a substantially single frequency signal at a specified timing having a specified phase relationship relative to the first phase inversion signal based on instructions that are executed by the processor.

Transducer assembly with digitally created signals

Techniques for coupling with devices that convert displacements into differential voltages and improvement of the sensitivity of such devices. A transducer operates based on changes of inductances between primary and secondary of a transformer to produce a differential signal that includes a noninverted signal and an inverted signal. A switch receives the noninverted signal and the inverted signal. A processor creates a square wave signal for driving the transducer input, and also digitally creates an inverted transducer output. A filter operates to filter the square wave output from the processor to produce a substantially single frequency signal at a specified timing having a specified phase relationship relative to the first phase inversion signal based on instructions that are executed by the processor.

Integrated micro actuator and IVDT for high precision position measurements

A digital system for controlling the quality factor in a resonant device. The resonant device can be a a device that includes a cantilever within its system, such as an atomic force microscope. The quality factor can be digitally controlled to avoid noise effect in the analog components. A direct digital synthesizer implemented in a way that provides access to the output of the phase accumulator. That output is a number which usually drives a lookup table to produce a cosine or sine output wave. The output wave is created, but the number is also adjusted to form a second number that drives a second lookup table to create an adjustment factor to adjust the output from the cosine table. The adjusted digital signal than drives a DA converter which produces an output drive for the cantilever.

Digital Q control for enhanced measurement capability in cantilever-based instruments

Techniques for coupling with devices that convert displacements into differential voltages and improve the sensitivity of such devices. The disclosed system improves the accuracy and resolution of a transducers such as an LVDT by converting certain parts of the circuit to a digital circuit. One embodiment uses a processor, although other digital processing circuitry may also be used.

Linear variable differential transformer with digital electronics

A digital system for controlling the quality factor in a resonant device. The resonant device can be any mechanically driven resonant device, but more particularly can be a device that includes a cantilever within its system, such as an atomic force microscope. The quality factor can be digitally controlled to avoid noise effect in the analog components. One of the controls can use a direct digital synthesizer implemented in a way that provides access to the output of the phase accumulator. That output is a number which usually drives eight lookup table to produce a cosine or sign output wave. The output wave is created, but the number is also adjusted to form a second number of the drives a second lookup table to create an adjustment factor. The adjustment factor is used to adjusts the output from the cosine table, to create an adjusted digital signal. The adjusted digital signal than drives a DA converter which produces an output drive for the cantilever.

A position sensor has a moving coil part that is formed from a first coil form formed of a non ferromagnetic material, and a second coil that also has its form made of non-ferromagnetic material. The coil forms can be formed of non ferromagnetic adhesive. One of the coils moves relative to the other. The stationary coil part sufficiently close to said moving coil part such that magnetic flux from said moving coil part is induced into said stationary coil part. A primary coil is driven with a voltage. The operation senses voltages induced into a plurality of secondary coils, from movement of the primary coil relative to the secondary coils. The sensing can be done using a differential amplifier.

Precision position sensor using a nonmagnetic coil form

A digital system for controlling the quality factor in a resonant device. The resonant device can be any mechanically driven resonant device, but more particularly can be a device that includes a cantilever within its system, such as an atomic force microscope. The quality factor can be digitally controlled to avoid noise effect in the analog components. One of the controls can use a direct digital synthesizer implemented in a way that provides access to the output of the phase accumulator. That output drives a lookup table to produce a cosine or sine output wave. The output is also formed into a second number that drives a second lookup table to create an adjustment factor. The adjusted digital signal then drives a DA converter which produces an output drive for the cantilever.

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Goleta, CA, United States of America

Dan Bocek