Number 8, March 2011
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What's Here for You:
Vibration
Isolation News is designed to keep our customers
and friends up-to-date on the latest products and applications
facilitating better measurements and improved nanomanufacturing.
We are an OEM supplier to leading manufacturers of scanning
probe microscopes, micro-hardness testers and other sensitive
instruments, and we have users at more than 200 leading
universities and private and government laboratories in
35 countries.
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Minus
K Technology currently builds
vibration
isolators to handle payloads from
3 lbs to 10,000 lbs (per isolator).
When you need the best isolation for your dollar.
Our
patented technology will provide you true 1/2 Hz performance.
Give
us your challenge.
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Improving
nanoimaging of µ-Raman/AFM systems
By Jim McMahon
Excerpted from Electronic
Products Online - November 2010
The need for
precise vibration isolation with scanning probe microscopy
(SPM) and nearfield scanning optical microscopy (NSOM) systems
is becoming more critical as resolutions continue to bridge
from micro to nano. Whether used in academic labs or commercial
facilities, SPM and NSOM systems are extremely susceptible
to vibrations from the environment.
Fig 1 The MicroView4000 platform from
Nanonics Imaging is the basis for AFM-Raman integration.
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When
measuring displacements of a very few angstroms or
nanometers, an absolutely stable surface must be established
for the instrument. Any vibration coupled into the
instrument's mechanical structure will cause vertical
and/or horizontal noise and thus reduce the system's
ability to measure high resolution features. And while
the vertical axis is the most sensitive for SPMs,
they can also be quite sensitive in the horizontal
axis.
AFM with micro-Raman
Micro-Raman
is a spectroscopic NSOM technique used in condensed-matter
physics and chemistry to study vibrational, rotational,
and other low-frequency modes in a system. It relies
on scattering of monochromatic light, usually from
a laser in the visible, near-infrared, or near ultraviolet
range. The laser light interacts with phonons or
other excitations in the system, resulting in the
energy of the laser photons being shifted up or
down. The shift in energy gives information about
the phonon modes in the system.
Scanning
samples in a micro-Raman system, however, suffers
from several problems. As even a very flat sample
is scanned, it is hard to keep the lens-to-sample
distance constant. Thus, as one goes from pixel
to pixel under the lens of a Raman, a mixture of
sample and air is sampled in the voxel (volumetric
picture element) that is illuminated. This causes
artifactual intensity variations in the Raman unrelated
to the chemical composition of the sample.
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This is even
more pronounced with rough samples, and standard methods
of auto-focus are simply not accurate enough for a host
of problems being investigated today. Additionally, the
point-spread function, which determines the resolution of
the Raman image, is significantly broader where there are
contributions from the out-of-focus light, and this reduces
resolution.
The AFM, being
a very high-resolution type of scanning-probe microscope,
has demonstrated resolution of fractions of a nanometer,
making it one of the foremost tools for imaging, measuring,
and manipulating matter at the nanoscale. The information
is gathered by "feeling" the surface with a mechanical
probe. Piezoelectric elements that facilitate tiny but accurate
and precise movements on electronic command enable the very
precise scanning.
The AFM consists
of a microscale cantilever with a sharp tip (probe) at its
end that is used to scan the specimen surface. The cantilever
is typically silicon or silicon nitride with a tip radius
of curvature on the order of nanometers. When the tip is
brought into proximity of a sample surface, forces between
the tip and the sample lead to a deflection of the cantilever.
Resultant characteristics, such as mechanical, electrostatic,
magnetic, chemical and other forces are then measured by
the AFM using, typically, a laser spot reflected from the
top surface of the cantilever into an array of photodiodes.
Most systems
employing AFM in concert with Raman perform separately,
executing either an AFM scan or a Raman scan independently.
The recently developed direct integration of Raman spectroscopy
with AFM technique, however, has opened the door to significantly
improved technique and sample analyses.
Micro-Raman is
a microtechnique, but when AFM is added, it becomes a nanotechnique.
It allows the AFM structural data to be recorded online
and improves the resolution of the Raman information when
the nanometric feedback of the system adjusts, with unprecedented
precision, the position of each pixel of the sample relative
to the lens. Also the small movements of the AFM stage provide
oversampling, which is a well-known technique for resolution
improvement.
One integrated
AFM-Raman system developed by Nanonics Imaging in association
with major Raman manufacturers such as Renishaw plc, Horiba
JY and others provides simultaneous and, very importantly,
on-line data from both modalities (see Fig. 1).
Most systems
employing AFM in concert with Raman perform separately,
executing either an AFM scan or a Raman scan independently.
The recently developed direct integration of Raman spectroscopy
with AFM technique, however, has opened the door to significantly
improved technique and sample analyses.
Micro-Raman is
a microtechnique, but when AFM is added, it becomes a nanotechnique.
It allows the AFM structural data to be recorded online
and improves the resolution of the Raman information when
the nanometric feedback of the system adjusts, with unprecedented
precision, the position of each pixel of the sample relative
to the lens. Also the small movements of the AFM stage provide
oversampling, which is a well-known technique for resolution
improvement.
One integrated
AFM-Raman system developed by Nanonics Imaging in association
with major Raman manufacturers such as Renishaw plc, Horiba
JY and others provides simultaneous and, very importantly,
on-line data from both modalities (see Fig. 1).
The full
article can be found at: https://minusk.com/content/in-the-news/ElecPro_1110.htm
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Featured Product: BM-1 Now Handles Up To 1000
lbs
Minus K has increased the range on
our largest standard isolator. With minimal re-engineering
we have been able to bring our BM-1 isolators up to 1000
lbs and is proud to introduce our new BM-1 models, the
850BM-1 and 1000BM-1.
After
building a few custom 850 and 900 lb systems for clients,
we saw the need to increase the capacities on our standard
BM-1 line. As the knowledge of our isolator's capibilities
and performance reaches new markets, there is a greater
need for additional payload capacities.
This
vibration isolation platform is extremely easy to use.
It offers our signature 0.5 Hz vertical and horizontal
natural frequency.
These
new BM-1 Models are now offered in both of our popular
workstations, the WS-4 and MK26.
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Minus
K's BM-1 Pictured on WS-4 Stand
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MK26
Pictured with BM-1 inside
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Specifications: |
Weight:
Approximately 80 lb (36 kg) |
Dimensions:
24" W x 22.5" D x 9" H
(610mm W x 572mm D x 216mm H)
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Load
Capacities (approximate): |
Model |
Payload
Range* |
Price**
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100BM-1 |
60 - 100 lb (27 - 48 kg)
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$4,150
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150BM-1 |
90 - 155 lb (41 - 70 kg)
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$4,200
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250BM-1 |
180 - 270 lb (82 - 123 kg)
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$4,515
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350BM-1 |
290 - 370 lb (132 - 168 kg)
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$4,830
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500BM-1 |
360 - 525 lb (164 - 239 kg) |
$5,040
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650BM-1
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500 to 680
lb (227 - 309 kg) |
$5,200
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850BM-1
[Weight: Approximately 90 lb. (41
kg)/same
dimensions] |
630
to 900 lb (285 - 408 kg) |
$6,370
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1000BM-1
[Weight: Approximately 90 lb. (41
kg)/same
dimensions] |
890
to 1050 lb (403 - 476 kg) |
$6,425
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*Contact Minus
K for custom payload ranges. |
**For International Orders, A Handling Fee
of 5% is Added.
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Performance |
- Horizontal
frequencies are weight dependent.
- Horizontal
frequency of 0.5 Hz is achieved at the upper limit
of the payload range.
- Vertical
frequency is tunable to 0.5 Hz throughout the payload
range.
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Negative-stiffness
isolators have resonant frequencies at 0.4 to 0.5 Hz, compared
to 2 to 3 Hz for typical pneumatic systems. They transmit
less energy from low-frequency vibrations to the payload
than do pneumatic systems, and maintain better isolation
performance through building frequencies to about 100 Hz
or more.
https://minusk.com/content/products/standard/bm-1_vibration_isolation_platform_anti_vibration_platforms.html
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CUORE
Installs Minus K Technology's "Negative-Stiffness"
Vibration Isolators for One-Ton Cryogenic Detector
Press
Release January 2011
(Inglewood,
California, January 31, 2011) - Inglewood, California, Italy's
National Institute of Nuclear Physics (INFN) has installed
three custom vibration isolators for experiments within
the Cryogenic Underground Observatory for Rare Events (CUORE),
located within Gran Sasso mountain, the highest peak in
the Apennines about 100 km (62 miles) from Rome.
CUORE
is a detector for neutrinoless double-beta decay and other
rare events such as detection of dark matter like axions
or weakly interacting massive particles (WIMPs). The new
generation one-ton scale cryogenic detector will have a
total mass of about 1,500 kg (3,300 pounds) and must be
cooled to less than 10 mK (millikelvin) in a vibration-free
environment. The cryostat is isolated by a two-stage isolation
system. The first stage is by the low-frequency Minus-K
isolators using patented Negative-Stiffness Mechanism (NSM)
technology. The second isolation stage is provided by regular
springs at the top end of the suspension bars.
"These
isolators were not only made to isolate at 0.5 Hz, but they
had to withstand a seismic shock while under load,"
says Dr. David Platus, inventor of Negative-Stiffness Mechanism
vibration isolation. "The NSM isolators offer better
isolation performance than air or active isolation systems."
Collaborators
on the CUORE project includes a consortium of members from
UC Berkeley, UCLA, Livermore Lab, Berkeley Lab, Cal Poly,
University of Wisconsin, University of South Carolina, University
of Milan-Bicocca, University of Florence, Leiden University,
University of Zaragoza, University of Rome, University of
Genoa, University of Insubria, University of Padua, National
Institute Nuclear Physics (INFN), National Laboratory of
Legnaro and Gran Sasso National Laboratory in Italy.
Minus K Technology works with many aerospace and education
laboratories for custom vibration isolation systems. It
offers a line of standard bench top, table and floor platform
vibration isolation products. The company was founded in
1993 to develop, manufacture and market state-of-the-art
vibration isolation products based on its patented negative-stiffness
technology. Minus K® is based in the Los Angeles area.
For additional information, Contact Steve Varma, Operations
Manager, Minus K Technology, 310-348-9656 or stevev@minusk.com
The press
release can be found at: https://minusk.com/content/in-the-news/CUOREPress_0111.htm
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News:
Minus K Technology Is Veteran Owned and Certified California
Small Business
Minus K
is a Veteran Owned Small Business.and
a certified State of California Small Business. All our products
are proudly made in the USA.\
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Veteran Owned Small Business
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Proudly Made in the USA
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California Certified Small Business
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Upcoming Meetings and Webinars:
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This
ad is now on the Physics Today Online Buyer's Guide
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