Carl Zeiss sensor for micro-measurement picks up award

The scanning touch sensor is at the heart of the F25 co-ordinate measuring machine developed for the quality assurance of micro-parts. The measuring volume of the F25 is one cubic decimeter; measuring uncertainty 250 nm at a scale resolution of 7.5 nm. The new sensor from Carl Zeiss Industrial Metrology is based on a 6.5 mm by 6.5 mm silicon chip whose centre region consists of a moveable, malleable membrane created by etching 0.010 mm slots and ridges. A stylus with a 7 mm shaft length, a diameter of 0.050 mm over 4 mm in length and a 0.120 mm diameter ruby sphere is fixed to the centre. The stylus can be deflected in three spatial directions, thus enabling it to scan known and unknown contours with a probing force of 0.5 mN, this corresponds to an approach path of 0.001 mm. The awards were presented to the development teams during the opening ceremony of the 2006 Sensor+Test trade fair in Nuremberg.