Development of a metrological scanning probe microscope incorporating a quartz tuning fork sensor and heterodyne laser interferometry

We present an overview of the design of the metrological scanning probe microscope (mSPM) currently under development at the National Measurement Institute Australia (NMIA) and report on preliminary results on the characterization of key components. The mSPM is being developed as part of the nanometrology program at NMIA and will provide dimensional measurements made at the nanometer scale that are traceable to the realization of the SI meter at NMIA. The instrument will provide an addressable measurement volume of 100 μm × 100 μm × 25 μm with a target uncertainty of 1 nm for the position measurement. It incorporates a quartz tuning fork (QTF) detector and a high-performance heterodyne laser interferometer system.