The FT-MTA03 Micromechanical Testing and Assembly System is a highly versatile testing instrument for the accurate quantification of mechanical properties and dimensions/geometry in the micro- and nanoscale. The FT-MTA03 combines the capabilities of a nanoindenter, a micro-tensile tester, a stylus profilometer and a versatile microstructure analyzer. It enables force measurements within +/-200 mN with a resolution of 0.5 nN and displacements from 0.1 nm to 29 mm along three axes. Furthermore, the FT-MTA03 can be reconfigured to meet a large range of applications and requirements, offering a complete solution for the comprehensive analysis of microstructures. The FT-MTA03 can be adapted for horizontal testing, vertical testing or testing from different angles. By equipping the FT-MTA03 with different types of the FemtoTools FT-S Microforce Sensing Probes, the instruments can be used for measurements in the nanonewton to the millinewton range. Besides mechanical testing and profiling, the FT-MTA03 can also be equipped with the FT-G Microgrippers series for microassembly tasks or sample preparation.
The main components of the FT-MTA03 Micromechanical Testing and Assembly System include the Micromechanical Testing Module and the Microscope Module.
Micromechanical Testing Module
The micromechanical testing module includes a 2-axis microscope positioning stage, a 3-axis piezoscanner, a FT-S Microforce Sensing Probe and a 3-axis nanopositioning platform (stick-slip actuation). All these positioners are motorized and can be controlled with the FemtoTools software suite. The combination of actuators and sensors enables the user-friendly micromechanical and topographical metrology and the precise tip-to-sample alignment. For large range measurements, the piezoelectric stick-slip actuator can perform mechanical tests along three axes over a range of up to 29 mm with a position resolution of 1 nm. For short range measurements, the 3-axis piezoscanner is used to measure over a range of up to 50 μm with a position resolution of 0.1 nm along three axes. Furthermore, the piezoscanner is especially well suited for fast, continuous measurements.
Microscope Module
The high performance FT-MTA03 digital microscope module has an extremely large working distance of 95 mm. The microscope can be tilted over a range of 180° around the sample. This enables the visualization of the sample at different angles while avoiding that the sensor or microgripper obstructs the view of the sample. The microscope also features a 7:1 motorized optical zoom and motorized focus, to observe samples within a field of view ranging from 9.5 mm x 7.1 mm down to 1.4 mm x 1.0 mm. Three different adjustable LED illumination principles can be selected: Coaxial through-the-lens illumination, ringlight and diffuse backlight.