Replication assessment of nanostructured polymer surfaces using atomic force microscopy: Uncertainty evaluation in the surface replication fidelity assessment of moulded specimens at the 100 nm scale

摘要

Polymer specimens have been manufactured by injection moulding and measured by atomic force microscopy (AFM) with the aim to investigate the possibility of replicating their surfaces with good fidelity at the sub-μm dimensional scale. Three different cases with surface features in the 100 nm amplitude range on the surface have been analysed: specimens with random and periodic surface examined in the same production batch and specimens with periodic surface produced in two different batches. The assessment of the AFM measurement uncertainty and its use in the replication analysis is discussed. Results show that high replication fidelity of the polymer specimens can be achieved in all the cases examined.