| Literature DB >> 35936941 |
Hsien-Shun Liao1, Imtisal Akhtar2, Christian Werner3, Roman Slipets2, Jorge Pereda2, Jen-Hung Wang4, Ellen Raun2, Laura Olga Nørgaard2, Frederikke Elisabet Dons2, Edwin En Te Hwu2.
Abstract
High-speed atomic force microscopes (HS-AFMs) with high temporal resolution enable dynamic phenomena to be visualized at nanoscale resolution. However, HS-AFMs are more complex and costlier than conventional AFMs, and particulars of an open-source HS-AFM controller have not been published before. These high entry barriers hinder the popularization of HS-AFMs in both academic and industrial applications. In addition, HS-AFMs generally have a small imaging area that limits the fields of implementation. This study presents an open-source controller that enables a low-cost simplified AFM to achieve a maximum tip-sample velocity of 5,093 µm/s (9.3 s/frame, 512 × 512 pixels), which is nearly 100 times higher than that of the original controller. Moreover, the proposed controller doubles the imaging area to 46.3 × 46.3 µm2 compared to that of the original system. The low-cost HS-AFM can successfully assess the severity of atopic dermatitis (AD) by measuring the nanotexture of human skin corneocytes in constant height DC mode. The open-source controller-based HS-AFM system costs less than $4,000, which provides resource-limited research institutes with affordable access to high-throughput nanoscale imaging to further expand the HS-AFM research community.Entities:
Keywords: AFM, atomic force microscope; AVT, anti-vibration table; Corneocyte; FES, focus error signal; FPGA, field-programmable gate array; HS-AFM, high-speed atomic force microscope; High-speed atomic force microscopy; Nanotexture; OPU, optical pick-up unit; PC, personal computer; RIBM, Research Institute of Biomolecule Metrology; Sinusoidal scanning; Skin barrier function; VCM, voice coil motor
Year: 2022 PMID: 35936941 PMCID: PMC9352456 DOI: 10.1016/j.ohx.2022.e00341
Source DB: PubMed Journal: HardwareX ISSN: 2468-0672
Fig. 1Block diagram of the low-cost HS-AFM system based on the open-source controller. A focus error signal (FES) is calculated by the simplified atomic force microscope (AFM) controller.
Fig. 2Data sampling method for the sinusoidal scanning motion.
Fig. 3Open-source controller connections and schematic with the open-source buffer circuit. a) i) Open-source controller connections with external I/O, ii) 12 V DC-DC converter, iii) network of capacitors and inductors to reduce the noise at the DC-DC converter output, and iv) schematic of the buffer circuit. b) PCB schematic and c) 3D view of the open-source buffer circuit. d) Image of the AFM base. A sample stage is located on top of the base. e–g) Wire connections from point I, II, and III soldered to the open-source buffer circuit for FastX, SlowY, and GND, respectively.
Fig. 4Control and imaging windows of the user interface of the HS-AFM controller.
Fig. 5Comparison of the full scanning area of the different controllers. AFM image of DVD tracks using a) the simplified AFM controller (area: 23 × 23 µm2) and b) the open-source HS-AFM controller (area: 46.3 × 46.3 µm2). The slight image distortion on the left is due to the hysteresis of the scanner.
Fig. 6Quantification of skin corneocyte surface nanotextures. a) Surface topography of skin corneocytes (area: 20 × 20 µm2) acquired by the open-source controller-based HS-AFM in constant height DC mode. b) The 135 circular nanotextures recognized and labeled by the evaluation method based on machine learning. Thus, the DTI score is 135.
Fig. 7Surface nanotexture of healthy and AD lesional skin corneocytes acquired by the open-source controller-based HS-AFM. Surface topography of a) a healthy control corneocyte (area: 20 × 20 µm2) with a DTI of 65. b) an AD lesional skin corneocyte (area: 20 × 20 µm2) with a DTI of 332.
| Hardware name | OPEN-SOURCE HIGH-SPEED ATOMIC FORCE MICROSCOPE CONTROLLER |
|---|---|
| Subject area | Engineering and materials science Low-cost alternative Hardware modifications to existing infrastructure Biological sciences |
| Hardware type | Imaging tool Measuring physical properties and in-lab sensors Electrical engineering Mechanical engineering and materials science |
| Closest commercial analog | Conventional atomic force microscopes |
| Open-source license | |
| Cost of hardware | |
| Source file repository |
| Figure | CC BY-SA 4.0 | Available at | |
| Figure | CC BY-SA 4.0 | Available at | |
| Figure | CC BY-SA 4.0 | Available at | |
| Figure | CC BY-SA 4.0 | Available at | |
| Figure | CC BY-SA 4.0 | Available at | |
| Graphical abstract | Figure | CC BY-SA 4.0 | Available at |
| LabVIEW source code | Code | CC BY-SA 4.0 | Available at |
| LabVIEW exe file | Executable file | CC BY-SA 4.0 | Available at |
| Buffer circuit Ver. 1.0 design | Design file | CC BY-SA 4.0 | Available at |
| Buffer circuit Ver. 2.0 design | Design file | CC BY-SA 4.0 | Available at |
| Simplified AFM with the original controller for 0.6 lines per second imaging | Video (Mp4) | CC BY-SA 4.0 | Available at |
| Simplified AFM with the open-source controller for 55 lines per second imaging | Video (Mp4) | CC BY-SA 4.0 | Available at |
| Operation process of the open-source controller-based HS-AFM | Video (Mp4) | CC BY-SA 4.0 | Available at |
| Simplified AFM scanner calibration process | Video (Mp4) | CC BY-SA 4.0 | Available at |
| Installation of myRIO for the open-source controller | Video (Mp4) | CC BY-SA 4.0 | Available at |
| Focus laser on an AFM probe and start measurement | Video (Mp4) | CC BY-SA 4.0 | Available at |
| U1 | NI myRIO-1900 | 1 | 700 | 700 | Electronics | |
| U2 | Strømlinet DIY AFM | 1 | 2,999 | 3,198 | Electromechanical system | |
| U3 | AD8397ARZ | 1 | 3.56 | 3.56 | Electronics | |
| U4 | DC-DC converter 12 V | 1 | 10.7 | 10.7 | Electronics | |
| R1, R2 | Resistor 100 Ω | 2 | 0.04 | 0.08 | Electronics | |
| Resistor 51 Ω | 2 | 0.1 | 0.2 | Electronics | ||
| R5 | Resistor 2.2 kΩ | 1 | 0.04 | 0.04 | Electronics | |
| LED1 | LED | 1 | 0.04 | 0.04 | Electronics | |
| C1, | Capacitor 1 nF | 2 | 0.11 | 0.22 | Electronics | |
| C3-C8 | Capacitor 0.1 μF | 4 | 0.1 | 0.4 | Electronics | |
| C9, C10 | Capacitor 1 μF | 2 | 0.1 | 0.2 | Electronics | |
| C11-C18 | Capacitor 100 μF | 6 | 3.09 | 18.54 | Electronics | |
| L1, L2 | Inductor 100 μH | 2 | 1.34 | 2.68 | Electronics | |
| DC1 | DC power adapter 12 V | 1 | 8.85 | 8.85 | Electronics | |
| DC2 | DC power jack | 1 | 0.58 | 0.58 | Electronics | |
| SW1 | SPDT toggle switch | 1 | 5.23 | 5.23 | Electronics | |
| T1-T3 | Terminal blocks | 3 | 0.53 | 1.59 | Electronics | |
| CN1 | Pluggable terminal blocks | 1 | 10.10 | 10.10 | Electronics | |
| H1 | Male header | 1 | 1.64 | 1.64 | Electronics |