Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Nano Analytik Gmbh

Synsfuels Americas Corporation

Fangzhou Xia

Kamal Youcef-Toumi

Ivo Rangelow

Yi Wang

Christoph Reuter

Mathias Holz

Chen Yang

Tzvetan Ivanov

Active cantilever probes having a thin coating incorporated into their design are disclosed. The probes can be operated in opaque and/or chemically harsh environments without the need of a light source or optical system and without being significantly negatively impacted by corrosion. The probes include a substrate that has a cantilever, a thermomechanical actuator associated with the cantilever, a piezoresistive stress sensor disposed on the cantilever, and a thin coating disposed on the cantilever and the piezoresistive stress sensor. The coating is bonded to the substrate, is thermally conductive, and has a low thermal resistance. Further, the thin coating is configured to have little to no impact on one or more of a mass of the active probe, a residual stress of the cantilever, or a stiffness of the active probe. Techniques for performing topography and making other measurements in an opaque and/or chemically harsh environment are also provided.

Coated active cantilever probes for use in topography imaging in opaque liquid environments, and methods of performing topography imaging

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Cambridge, MA, United States of America

Fangzhou Xia