Calibration and Industrial Application of Instrument for Surface Mapping based on AFM

The paper describes the calibration and application of an integrated system for topographic characterisation of fine surfaces on large workpieces. The system, consisting of an atomic force microscope mounted on a coordinate measuring machine, was especially designed for surface mapping, i.e., measurement and tiling of adjacent areas.

A calibration procedure was proposed involving a glass artefact featuring chromium lines with different pitch distances, giving the possibility to identify the exact position of single surface areas. The calibrated system was used to surface map a hip joint prosthesis consisting of a steel sphere with a polished surface having 3 nm roughness.