F&E1-BSS
Supervisor: PD Dr. Hendrik Hölscher
Overview of Scanning Probe Technologies
Welcome to the Scanning Probe Technologies group!
If you are looking for a collaboration or a group to do your Doctoral studies or Bachelor/Master thesis, you are in the right place! We are composed of physicist, mechanical and electrical engineers, having an expertise in characterization of the mechanical, physical and chemical properties of surfaces of any kinds in micro- and nano-level. We are passionate in building and modifying fancy AFM-microscopes, discovering the secrets of butterflies, gecko and interesting bio-inspired structures and working with very "cool" cold atoms. We work in an interdisciplinary and friendly atmosphere focused on the physics of materials at nanoscale and the micro- and nano-fabrication as well in a large scale for commercial purposes.
Research
Atomic Force Microscopy
The analysis and development of new techniques for the microscopy and spectroscopy of surfaces on the nano-scale allows new insights into the nanoworld.
- Current project: Cold atom scanning probe technology
- Responsible person: Dr. Julia Syurik
Nano-Tribology
The exploration of the mechanical properties of nano-contacts and their frictional forces helps to understand the origin of friction and wear.
Mechanical Nano- and Micro-Resonators
Small mechanical resonators are frequently used as sensors. Due to their tiny size they sometimes reveal interesting physical effects not observable at the macro scale.
- Current project: TMR sensor for AFM
- Responsible person: Tobias Meier
Biomimetics
Some animals, insects and plants show fascinating surface effects caused by their specific microscopic surface structure. We analyse these phenomena and frequently it is possible to mimic them using nano- and microreplication techniques (cooperation with).
Current projects:
- Simulation and replication of the optical surfaces of butterfly structures
- Responsible person: Radwanul Hasan Siddique
- Water harvesting technique of desert beetles
- Responsible person: Andreas Höpf
Nano-Transistor
Standby switches in electronic devices are currently responsible for the loss of 6.5% of the annual electricity consumption of an average household, and this value is predicted to increase to 15% by 2030. The project goal is the development of a standby switch device with nearly zero power consumption.
- Current project: Development of single atom transistor
- Responsible person: Dr. Maryna Kavelenka
Publications
Team
| Name | Position | Research interests | Location (IMT) | Phone | ||
| PD Dr. Hendrik Hölscher | Group leader | Atomic Force Microscopy, Nanotribology, Biomimetics | B-310, R-355 | (+49) 721608 22779 | hendrik.hoelscher@kit.edu | File:Example.jpg |
| Dr. Maryna Kavelenka | Postdoc | Single-Atomic Standby Switch | B-310, R-255 | (+49) 721608 | maryna.kavalenka@kit.edu | File:Example.jpg |
| Dr. Julia Syurik | Postdoc | Cold-atom SPM, Functional polymer composites, Biomimetics | B-301, R-212e | (+49) 721608 24062 | julia.syurik@kit.edu | 
|
| Tobias Meier | PhD researcher | Scanning Probe Techniques, Mechanical Nano- and Microresonators, Nanotribology, Shape-Memory Polymers | B-307, R-229 | (+49) 721608 23815 | tobias.meier@kit.edu | File:Tobias.Meier.jpg |
| Radwanul Hasan Siddique | PhD researcher | Biomimetics, Bio-inspired photonic structures: FEM modeling, Fabrication and Characterization | B-307, R-229 | (+49) 721608 24684 | radwanul.siddique@kit.edu | 
|
| Richard Thelen | Technical stuff | Atomic Force Microscopy, AFM Cluster-KNMF | B-310, R-3?? | (+49) 721608 2???? | richard.thelen@kit.edu | File:Richard.Thelen.jpg |
| Andreas Hopf | Master student | Biomimetics | B-307, R-326 | (+49) 721608 2???? | andreas.hopf@kit.edu | File:Andreas.Hopf.jpg |
AFM Workshop
News
Successful Replication of Hierarchical Gecko-type Structures
Due to their outstanding adhesive properties, the gecko’s toes have been extensively investigated and serve now as a prototype for the ideal adhesive tape. Their impressive attachment system enables geckos not only to adhere to nearly any surface but also to detach within milliseconds. This famous feature is enabled by the hierarchical formation of delicate hairs covering their toes. These so-called setae, which are about 4 μm in diameter and 100 μm in length, split into the about 200 nm wide spatulae. With this hierarchical design, geckos achieve very intimate contact to flat and even to relatively rough surfaces enabling them to climb walls and ceilings only with the help of van-der-Waals interactions. Together with the Nanoscribe GmbH, we successfully introduced 3D direct laser writing (DLW) for the rapid prototyping of hierarchical gecko-inspired structures where the Young’s modulus and the relevant length scales match the gecko very closely. The obtained results show that hierarchical structures are favorable for stiff materials on the nanoscale. The results are published in: Hierarchical Structures: 3D Direct Laser Writing of Nano- and Microstructured Hierarchical Gecko-Mimicking Surfaces, by M. Röhrig, M. Thiel, M. Worgull, and H. Hölscher in Small 19, 2918 (2012).
Course on Surface Analysis Using Atomic Force Microscopy and Related Techniques
December 5, 2013
Seminar Room of the Institute of Microstructure Technology (Campus North)
Lecturer: Hendrik Hölscher (IMT), Richard Thelen (IMT), Bärbel Krause (ISS)
Schedule:
09:30 Basic Principles of Atomic Force Microscopy
10:30 Coffee break
11:00 Image Processing in Scanning Probe Microscopy
11:30 Adhesion and Friction Measurements Using Atomic Force Microscopy
12:00 Lunch break
13:30 Dynamic Force Microscopy (“Tapping-”, AC- and “Noncontact”-mode)
14:30 Stylus Profilometry versus Multisensor Coordinate Measurement for 3D Surfaces - a brief Comparison (Richard Thelen, IMT)
15:15 Coffee break
15:45 AFM and X-ray scattering as complementary methods for probing the sample morphology (Bärbel Krause, ISS)
16:30 Outlook & Discussion
17:00 End of course
Please send a short email to hendrik.hoelscher@kit.edu if you would like to attend.
Contact
Thank you for your interest. For more details, please contact:
PD Dr. Hendrik Hölscher
Karlsruhe Institute of Technology
Institute of Microstructure Technology
Hermann-von-Helmholtz-Platz 1
76344 Eggenstein-Leopoldshafen
Phone: +49 721 608-22779
Fax: +49 721 608-24331
Email: hendrik.hoelscher@kit.edu
