physics

Nanosurf

Nanosurf is a physics topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Nanosurf rather than just read about it. In short: Nanosurf AG, headquartered in Liestal, Switzerland, is a developer, manufacturer and supplier of metrology solutions for industrial and academic research, and educational purposes. Nanosurf's atomic force microscopes (AFM) and scanning tunneling microscopes (STM) are used for metrological surface inspections and for the visualization of structures, and material properties on the nanometer scale.

Key takeaways

Nanosurf belongs to physics; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Nanosurf to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Nanosurf from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

Nanosurf AG, headquartered in Liestal, Switzerland, is a developer, manufacturer and supplier of metrology solutions for industrial and academic research, and educational purposes. Nanosurf's atomic force microscopes (AFM) and scanning tunneling microscopes (STM) are used for metrological surface inspections and for the visualization of structures, and material properties on the nanometer scale. Nanosurf worked with NASA's Phoenix Mars mission to provide the atomic force microscopy module for the Mars probe.

History In 1997, Nanosurf was awarded the "Start-up-Label" by the Swiss government agency for innovation (KTI). Nanosurf was founded June 4, 1997, in order to design scanning probe microscopes that were accessible for everyone. The Nanosurf founders were inspired by Hans-Joachim Guentherodt, the Director of the Swiss NCCR Nanoscale Science, head of the Institute of Physics of the University of Basel, coordinator of the Swiss Nanoscience Institute, and chairman of the National Center of Competence in Research (NCCR) "Nanoscale Science". In 1998, The NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory selected the Nanosurf atomic force microscope for its mission to Mars. Nanosurf joined a consortium consisting of the Institute of Microtechnology, University of Neuchatel, and the Institute of Physics, University of Basel to achieve this goal. Nanosurf was awarded the innovation prize by the Swiss Cantons of Basel-Stadt and Basel- Landschaft in 1998. In 2000, Nanosurf was awarded the Swiss Technology Award by the Swiss federal industry agency. The easyScan atomic force microscope is introduced to the market. Nanosurf received the 2003 KMU Entrepreneurial award by the Chamber of Commerce of the Cantons of Basel-Landschaft and Basel-Stadt. In 2007, Nanosurf received the Swiss Technology Award (Vontobel Stiftung) for the automated Nanite AFM system. On August 4, Phoenix Mars Probe was launched carrying a Nanosurf AFM scanner. Since its founding in 1997, Nanosurf AG established subsidiaries in Boston and Santa Barbara (US), Langen (Germany), Bracknell (United Kingdom), Shanghai (China), Hyderabad (India) and Singapore.

Product lines Nanosurf invented the first scanning tunneling microscope (STM) with the compact size and stability to image individual atoms on a coffee table. In its early days, Nanosurf became known for educational AFMs, and over the course of the following decades moved more and more towards providing high-end instruments for research. Nanosurf released one of the most versatile AFMs in 2020 the DriveAFM, which was awarded the Wiley award in 2023. Nanosurf offers the following instruments.

Research AFMs for materials science and life sciences: DriveAFM, FlexAFM, CoreAFM. Industrial solutions: Alphacen 300 Flex, Alphacen 200 Drive and fully customized AFM metrology solutions. Basic research and education: NaioAFM, NaioSTM.

Phoenix Mars Lander Mission Nanosurf, the University of Neuchâtel, and the University of Basel were part of a Swiss consortium challenged to equip the Phoenix Mars Probe with the first atomic force microscope in space. This atomic force microscope was designed to be part of the Microscopy, Electrochemistry, and a Conductivity Analyzer (MECA) unit built by NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory. It was a key component of the Phoenix probe's ensemble of on-board scientific instruments. Nanosurf contributed to the Phoenix Mars Mission with an AFM that recorded high-resolution images of Martian dust. These images allowed researchers to study the history of water on Mars, and represent the highest resolution images ever recorded on another planet. Nanosurf joined in developing, building and testing an atomic force microscope for planetary science applications, in particular for the study of Martian soil. The system consists of a controller board, an electromagnetic scanner and micro-fabricated sensor-chip. Eight cantilevers with integrated, piezoresistive deflection sensors are aligned in a row and are engaged one after the other to provide redundancy in case of tip or cantilever failure. Silicon and molded diamond tips are used for probing the sample. Images can be recorded in both, static and dynamic operation mode. In the latter case, excitation of the resonance frequencies of the cantilevers is achieved by vibrating the whole chip with a piezoelectric disk. This instrument represents the highest spatial resolution instrument ever produced for in situ planetary studies. The required level of operational robustness was achieved by using a redundant array of microfabricated cantilevers.

First Atomic Force Microscope Image on Mars

The first image recorded by an atomic force microscope on another planet. On July 9, 2008, Mars day 44 of the Phoenix Mars Mission, the atomic force microscope on the Mars Lander recorded an image of a test grid, which serves as a calibration for the microscope. This image was successfully transmitted to Earth by the Phoenix Mars probe, and demonstrates full functionality of the nano-imaging device under the harsh Martian conditions, satisfying the NASA Phoenix team as well as the Swiss scientific team responsible for the development of the microscope. The area imaged by the microscope is 40 × 40 μm, small enough to fit on an eyelash. The grooves in this substrate are 14 μm (0.00055 in) apart, from center to center. The vertical dimension is exaggerated in the image to make surface details more visible. The grooves are 300 nm (1.2×10−5 in) deep.

… excerpt ends here. Continue reading the full article.

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Nanosurf

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Nanosurf claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In physics, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Nanosurf before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Nanosurf ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Nanosurf

In research: Nanosurf appears in physics research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Nanosurf in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Nanosurf is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Companies established in 1997, Liestal, Manufacturing companies of Switzerland, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Nanosurf outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Nanosurf in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Nanosurf means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Nanosurf out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Nanosurf in simple terms?

Why does Nanosurf matter?

Because it connects several physics ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Nanosurf?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Nanosurf.