• Journal of Surface Science and Engineering
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• v.39 no.2
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• pp.64-69
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• 2006

Nanoscale task such as nanolithography and nanoindenting is a challenging work that is beyond the capabilities of human sensing and precision. Since surface forces and intermolecular forces dominate over gravitational and other more intuitive forces of the macro world at the nanoscale, a user is not familiar with these novel nanoforce effects. In order to overcome this scaling barrier, haptic interfaces that consist of visual and force feedback at the macro world have been used with an Atomic Force Microscope (AFM) as a manipulator at the nanoscale. In this paper, a nanoscale virtual coupling (NSVC) concept is introduced and the relationship between performance and impedance scaling factors of velocity (or position) and force are explicitly represented. Experiments have been performed for nanoindenting and nanolithography with different materials in the nanoscale virtual surface. The interaction forces (non contact and contact nanoforces) between the AFM tip and the nano sample are transmitted to the operator through the haptic interface.