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  4. Active load cell with positive, negative and zero stiffness operating modes for micronewton range contact force monitoring in electrical probing
 
conference paper

Active load cell with positive, negative and zero stiffness operating modes for micronewton range contact force monitoring in electrical probing

Smreczak, Michal Stanislaw  
•
Schneegans, Hubert Pierre-Marie Benoît  
•
Baur, Charles  
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June 3, 2022
Proceedings of the 22nd International Conference of the European Society for Precision Engineering and Nanotechnology
22nd International Conference of the European Society for Precision Engineering and Nanotechnology (Euspen 2022)

This article describes a novel method for applying a contact force in the range of 1 to 100 μN with pointed probe on a microscale sample in order to perform ohmic electrical measurements. The solution is based on the new TIVOT active load cell combining the functions of a force sensor and an actuator. Probe movement is performed by a piezo actuator which allows the probe tip to be moved over a 5.64 mm range with submicrometric precision. Force measurement is enabled by measuring the elastic deformation of a compliant structure with adjustable stiffness. Strategies are presented to remotely adjust the sensitivity of the mechanism leading to resolutions from 12 μN to 10 nN for forces ranges from 0-60 mN to 0-1 mN respectively. The piezo-actuated stiffness adjustment enables the mechanism to operate in a bistable mode with a tunable maximal threshold force, thus protecting the probe and sample from overloads. Zero offset tuning, in combination with the non-linear characteristic of the mechanism, allows reaching a quasi-constant force characteristic after landing the probe which helps maintaining a stable electrical contact during measurement. Experimental results show that this approach secures and improves probe to sample contact force leading to more efficient measurements than with the traditional methods.

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ICE22127.pdf

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openaccess

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CC BY-NC-ND

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