Asylum Research and Covalent Metrology Collaborate to Promote Industrial Applications of Advanced Atomic Force Microscopy

Oxford Instruments Asylum Research and Covalent Metrology Services announced today that the two companies have signed a joint collaboration aimed at further developing and promoting commercial applications for several advanced modes of atomic force microscopy (AFM).

Oxford Instruments Asylum Research designs and manufactures state-of-the-art AFMs for both academic and industrial applications. Scientists at Asylum Research have been on the forefront of leading AFM applications in biology and materials science and have developed a number of unique nanoelectrical and nanomechanical characterization techniques. Advanced modes of AFM can contribute significant understanding of materials and devices being developed by engineers across a range of industries.

Covalent Metrology is a rapidly growing metrology and characterization company that delivers analytical services with a diverse platform. The company is headquartered in Silicon Valley and offers a range of sample measurements services alongside consulting solutions that empower customers to solve challenging technical problems across the United States.

The collaboration will focus on nanoelectrical and nanomechanical characterization of materials with an emphasis on the following areas:

Biological Measurements:

• Structural and nanomechanical measurements on biological samples including cells, proteins, bacteria, DNA, RNA, lipids

Nanoelectrical measurements:

• Piezoresponse force microscopy (PFM) – functional measurements of electro-mechanical coupling on ferroelectric and piezoelectric materials
• Conductive AFM (CAFM) – nanoscale current measurements and conductivity mapping
• Scanning Capacitance Microscopy (SCM) – dopant profiling, capacitance vs. voltage measurements, impedance mapping

Nanomechanical measurements:

• Stiffness / modulus mapping in the kPa to GPa regime
• Viscoelastic mapping including loss tangent on polymers
• Indentation measurements on thin films and soft samples

"AFM is such a powerful technique for understanding a range of materials, characteristics and devices. We are pleased to partner with Covalent, a dynamic analytical service lab, to continue to expand the range of AFM applications into the industrial market segment," stated Andrew Masters, Global VP of Sales and Marketing at Oxford Instruments Asylum Research.

Craig Hunter, CEO of Covalent, stated, "Asylum Research has been providing cutting edge AFM instruments for over 20 years.  We are extremely excited to partner with them to proselytize the value of these advanced AFM techniques. And we are particularly excited to be the first analytical services company offering advanced AFM on biological samples."