Atomic Force Microscope and Scanning Tunnelling Microscope

Model: 3D - Molecular Force Probe, Asylum Research

Applications / Capabilities: This is a state-of-the-art (SPM) Scanned Probe Microscope - the first with close-loop control over ALL three axes, and the lowest noise levels. See; http://www.AsylumResearch.com/ for details.

Special Features: The SPM is mounted on a Nikon TE2000-U inverted microscope and set up for Total Internal Reflectance Microscopy (thru objective at x60 with 468nm, 20 mW Saphhire laser (Coherent)). Has a CoolSNAP HQ cooled CCD, wide field fluorescence and phase objectives. This facility was purchased with the express interest to study bio-physical phenomena.

Model: NanoScope III, Digital Instruments/Veeco

Applications / Capabilities: The group has extensive experience in measuring interfacial and hydrodynamic forces in aqueous media, dynamic and micro-rheological measurements s and the manipulation of single polymer chains. See http://www.di.com for details on the capabilities of the technique.

Special Features: Tip-view optical microscope, in situ electrochemical, Scanners for 1µm2, 13µm2 and 100µm2, haptics interface for real-time manipulation of single molecules, custom fluid cells.

The Department has a fully equipped Surface Forces Laboratory including a cleanroom and operates three S.F.Apparatuses. Other equipment includes items such as a Langmuir trough, thin film evaportor, Millipore water polisher.

Model: Mk4 SFA - Developed in the Applied Maths Surface Forces Laboratory, RSPhysSE, ANU, and sold throughout the world. Link to Customers Sales.

Applications / Capabilities: The SFA allows the forces between two surfaces in vapour or liquid to be measured with a sensitivity of a few millidynes ( l0 nN) and a distance resolution of about 1 Å (0.1 nm). It can also be used to measure the refractive index of the medium between surfaces and to study adsorption from liquids, capillary condensation, viscosity in thin films, and surface deformations caused by surface forces.

Special Features: Friction Attachment , Capacitance Attachment

Model: Image Enhanced Ellipsometer, Beaglehole Instruments, New Zealand

Applications / Capabilities: Permits spatial mapping of dielectric properties of thin or thick films, on solid or liquid interfaces. See Beaglehole Instruments for details on the capabilities of this technique.

Special Features: High resolution phase modulated ellipsometer with coincident laser and monochromated measurement (200-900nm). Has dual barrier Langmuir trough.

Model: Source - RTR, X-Tek Systems Limited, UK. Detector - PI-SCX100:2048 CCD camera (Kodak KAF 4300, 2k x 2k), Roper Scientific, USA.

Applications / Capabilities: Computed tomography and non-destructive testing of biological, mineralogical and metallurgical specimens up to 50 mm. Energy range: 30 to 225kV. Can support up to 100 kg with milli-degree resolution. Volumes up to (2000)3 voxels can be reconstructed. See X-Tek Systems Ltd for details on the capabilities of the X-ray source. See Roper Scientific for details on the capabilities of the X-ray detector.

Special Features: Microfocus (5 micron) X-ray source; very high resolution digital camera; custom reconstruction software; materials modelling software for elastic, conductive and porous materials; in-situ materials testing for fluid flow for time resolved tomography.

Model: Inel XRG2500

Applications / Capabilities: Study of mesostructured complex fluids and colloids between 10 and 300 Angstroms.

Special Features: Guinier/Luzzati optics, film detector.

Model: Kodak MegaPlus CCD camera ES310/T, Roper Scientific (MASD).

Applications / Capabilities: Used for monitoring penetration of liquids into micro-models and for other wetting phenomena. See Roper Scientific UK for details on the capabilities of this camera.

Special Features: PC-based interline-transfer CCD, full field is 648 x 484-pixel delivering 125 frames per second. 400 fps is possible with reduced field of view.

Model: Custom built in Applied Maths. Uses ENI generator

Applications / Capabilities: Can make surfaces such as wood, plastics, telfon, glass, metals, etc wet by water.

Special Features: Permits the passive cleaning of adventitious carbon from inorganic surface, rendering them reproducibly clean with a high degree of surface hydroxylation. Has a vacuum transference chamber for post cleaning reaction with reactive vapours, ie. silanes.

Model: Custom built in Applied Maths.

Applications / Capabilities: Cleaning of wafers. Good for cm sized areas only. See Applied Surface Technologies for details on the capabilities of the technique.

Special Features: Ultra-pure CO2 is forced at cylinder pressures through a sub-mm hole. High velocity particulate CO2 is then used to remove debris or contamination from a surface to be cleaned. A stream of clean N2 is used to remove solid CO2.

Model: Developed in Applied Maths

Applications / Capabilities: The modelling of capillary dominated flow of two and three fluid phases inside porous materials using a network model. Can determine the relative permeabilities and residual saturations of drainage and imbibition processes. The generation of large scale stochastic networks and the analysis of many of their topological and geometrical properties.

Special Features: Espresso is a software package written in C++ with a Tcl/Tk graphical user interface. It can run on many Unix platforms.

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