Investigation of a scale-up manufacturing approach for nanostructures by using a nanoscale multi-tip diamond tool

Increasing interest in commercializing functional nanostructured devices heightens the need for cost-effective manufacturing approaches for nanostructures. This paper presents an investigation of a scale-up manufacturing approach for nanostructures through diamond turning using a nanoscale multi-tip diamond tool (four tip tool with tip width of 150 nm) fabricated by focused ion beam (FIB). The manufacturing capacity of this new technique is evaluated through a series of cutting trials on copper substrates under different cutting conditions (depth of cut 100–500 nm, spindle speed 12–120 rpm). The machined surface roughness and nanostructure patterns are measured by using a white light interferometer and a scanning electron microscope, respectively. Results show that the form accuracy and integrity of the machined nanostructures were degraded with the increase of the depth of cut and the cutting speed. The burr and the structure damage are two major machining defects. High precision nano-grooves (form error of bottom width < 6.7 %) was achieved when a small depth of cut of 100 nm was used (spindle speed = 12 rpm). Initial tool wear was found at both the clearance cutting edge and the side edges of tool tips after a cutting distance of 2.5 km. Moreover, the nanometric cutting process was emulated by molecular dynamic (MD) simulations. The research findings obtained from MD simulation reveal the underlying mechanism for machining defects and the initialization of tool wear observed in experiments

An integrated dynamic design system for aerostatic spindle development

In this paper an integrated dynamic design and modeling system is developed for aerostatic spindle development. This system integrates initial structural design, bearing stiffness computation and the spindle dynamic performance prediction. Modal fitting is used to transform the finite element model into a two-degree-of-freedom system model, which will make it easier to control the system and calculate the dynamic response. The design system is implemented by using commercial software, such as Pro/E, Matlab and Ansys. Consequently, the integrated dynamic design system enables the designers to cost-effectively complete structural design of an aerostatic spindle. A case study has been presented in this paper for design of an aerostatic spindle used for flycutting. The machining results demonstrate the effectiveness of the developed integrated dynamic design system for aerostatic spindles design

Cylindrical illumination with angular coupling for whole-prostate photoacoustic tomography

Current diagnosis of prostate cancer relies on histological analysis of tissue samples acquired by biopsy, which could benefit from real-time identification of suspicious lesions. Photoacoustic tomography has the potential to provide real-time targets for prostate biopsy guidance with chemical selectivity, but light delivered from the rectal cavity has been unable to penetrate to the anterior prostate. To overcome this barrier, a urethral device with cylindrical illumination is developed for whole-prostate imaging, and its performance as a function of angular light coupling is evaluated with a prostate-mimicking phantom

Review on FIB-induced damage in diamond materials

Background: Although various advanced FIB processing methods for the fabrication of 3D nanostructures have been successfully developed by many researchers, the FIB milling has an unavoidable result in terms of the implantation of ion source materials and the formation of damaged layer at the near surface. Understanding the ion-solid interactions physics provides a unique way to control the FIB produced defects in terms of their shape and location. Methods: We have carefully selected peer-reviewed papers which mainly focusing on the review questions of this paper. A deductive content analysis method was used to analyse the methods, findings and conclusions of these papers. Based on their research methods, we classify their works in different groups. The theory of ion-matter interaction and the previous investigation on ion-induced damage in diamond were reviewed and discussed. Results: The previous research work has provided a systematic analysis of ion-induced damage in diamond. Both experimental and simulation methods have been developed to understand the damage process. The damaged layers created in FIB processing process can significantly degrade/alter the device performance and limit the applications of FIB nanofabrication technique. There are still challenges involved in fabricating large, flat, and uniform TEM samples in undoped non-conductive diamond. Conclusions: The post-facto-observation leaves a gap in understanding the formation process of ioninduced damage, forcing the use of assumptions. In contrast, MD simulations of ion bombardment have shed much light on ion beam mixing for decades. These activities make it an interesting and important task to understand what the fundamental effects of energetic particles on matter are

Experimental investigation of the vibration-attenuating effect of rail suspension fasteners on environment vibration induced by subway

A field test of environment vibration due to subway was carried out so as to investigate the vibration-alleviating effect of rail suspension fasteners in both time and frequency domains. The experimental results show that the time-domain vertical ground vibration accelerations would transform from several concentrated vibrations to the decentralized and uniform ones after replacement of common rail fasteners with rail suspension fasteners. Moreover, rail suspension fasteners have more significant vibration-mitigation effect on the time-domain peak particle accelerations (PPAs) at the nearer positions than at the farther ones, and the minimum PPA induced by common rail fasteners is still higher than the maximal PPA caused by rail suspension fasteners at all measuring positions. In frequency domain, the vibration-reduction effect of rail suspension fasteners is more remarkable in the dominant 1/3 octave center frequencies of 50-125 Hz than in the non-dominant ones from 1 to 40 Hz. Compared with common rail fasteners, the highest vibration acceleration levels (VALmax) in the dominant 1/3 octave center frequencies between 50 and 125 Hz at all measuring positions decrease by 8.7-21 dB after adoption of rail suspension fasteners. Additionally, the integrated VLzs in 1/3 octave center frequencies of 1-125 Hz at all measuring positions are ranged from 77.1 dB to 66.5 dB, evidently higher than the China’ standard threshold of 65 dB, before replacement of common rail fasteners, while the integrated VLzs are framed between 68.3 and 57.3 dB, mostly less than the threshold, after application of rail suspension fasteners

Investigation of the shape transferability of nanoscale multi-tip diamond tools in the diamond turning of nanostructures

In this article, the shape transferability of using nanoscale multi-tip diamond tools in the diamond turning for scale-up manufacturing of nanostructures has been demonstrated. Atomistic multi-tip diamond tool models were built with different tool geometries in terms of the difference in the tip cross-sectional shape, tip angle, and the feature of tool tip configuration, to determine their effect on the applied forces and the machined nano-groove geometries. The quality of machined nanostructures was characterized by the thickness of the deformed layers and the dimensional accuracy achieved. Simulation results show that diamond turning using nanoscale multi-tip tools offers tremendous shape transferability in machining nanostructures. Both periodic and non-periodic nano-grooves with different cross-sectional shapes can be successfully fabricated using the multi-tip tools. A hypothesis of minimum designed ratio of tool tip distance to tip base width (L/Wf) of the nanoscale multi-tip diamond tool for the high precision machining of nanostructures was proposed based on the analytical study of the quality of the nanostructures fabricated using different types of the multi-tip tools. Nanometric cutting trials using nanoscale multi-tip diamond tools (different in L/Wf) fabricated by focused ion beam (FIB) were then conducted to verify the hypothesis. The investigations done in this work imply the potential of using the nanoscale multi-tip diamond tool for the deterministic fabrication of period and non-periodic nanostructures, which opens up the feasibility of using the process as a versatile manufacturing technique in nanotechnology

STUDY THE ORDER OF MORPHOLOGY SELF-ASSEMBLED TRIBLOCK COPOLYMER THIN FILMS BY FFT OF THE AFM IMAGES

ABSTRACT A variety of block copolymer thin films with well-ordered nanostructures, which can be employed as templates for nanotechnologies including nanostructure membranes, nanoparticle synthesis, photonic crystal, and high-density information storage media, can be realized simply and at low cost by self-assembly. Long range ordering of morphology is paramount to realize applications of self-assembled block copolymer thin films in nanotechnologies. A better understanding of what parameters affect the ordering process can lead to the production of highly ordered arrays of nanostructures. In this paper, in order to effectively analyze the improvement in ordering, the Fast Fourier transform (FFT) analysis of the AFM images is used. Fast Fourier transform provide a mathematical analysis of the image that is similar to producing a diffraction pattern. From this &quot;diffraction pattern&quot; information on the order in the system can be obtained. Moreover, calculating an ordering parameter from the FFT provides a quantitative measure of the order present in the polymer template. The order parameter is calculated using equations which were tested against a manufactured perfect system and imperfect system to ensure that a perfect system would provide an order parameter of 1 and an imperfect system would create an order parameter of 0. The results show that the method is reasonable and effective to analyze the improvement in ordering that is achieved by using solvent annealing. Furthermore, the method can be used to understand the parameters in triblock copolymer thin film self-assembly process that create the most well ordered system

Research priorities in observing and modeling urban weather and climate

In 2007, the world reached the unprecedented milestone of half of its people living in cities, and that proportion is projected to be 60% in 2030. The combined effect of global climate change and rapid urban growth, accompanied by economic and industrial development, will likely make city residents more vulnerable to a number of urban environmental problems, including extreme weather and climate conditions, sea-level rise, poor public health and air quality, atmospheric transport of accidental or intentional releases of toxic material, and limited water resources. One fundamental aspect of predicting the future risks and defining mitigation strategies is to understand the weather and regional climate affected by cities. For this reason, dozens of researchers from many disciplines and nations attended the Urban Weather and Climate Workshop.1 Twenty-five students from Chinese universities and institutes also took part. The presentations by the workshop's participants span a wide range of topics, from the interaction between the urban climate and energy consumption in climate-change environments to the impact of urban areas on storms and local circulations, and from the impact of urbanization on the hydrological cycle to air quality and weather prediction