The Developers of the Atomic Force Microscope

The atomic force microscope is a cutting-edge measuring apparatus which is indispensable for research into the nano technology, one of the core and basic technologies for the development of science and technology.

Teachers and researchers of Kim Il Sung University developed and manufactured the cutting-edge apparatus last year. They set a bold target to develop the atomic force microscope with their wisdom, technology and strength and made painstaking pursuit and devoted efforts in research. They completed a general assembly drawing and designs for processing parts and controlling circuit while analyzing and summing up information from hundreds of preceding documents and types of nano measuring apparatuses already developed in other countries.

On the other hand, they went to different metal processing factories and made precision machine parts one by one working together with technicians on the spot. Sometimes a part processed with difficulty was disqualified and many times they worked in vain as the strength of a material was not ensured. But they never gave in. They corrected one by one various irrational devices and circuits discovered in the course of experiments and finally, could get the first atomic force micrograph of the surface of graphite in April Juche 101 or 2012. But many technical problems had to be solved to develop atomic force microscope of practical use. The researchers solved those problems only in six months and manufactured the atomic force microscope at last.

The result of the test and measurement proved that their atomic force microscope can survey the structure of the surface of sample in three-dimensional way and its horizontal direction resolving power is also very high to 1 nanometer degree. It was also proved that the standard value of the nano thin film of zinc oxide measured in developed countries and the result of the observation with the atomic force microscope developed by them were entirely the same both in quality and quantity. The researchers did not rest content with it. They intensified their research into comprehensive improvement of the performance and utility of the apparatus by integrating several measuring instruments with different functions and features.

As a result, they succeeded in the new development of a comprehensive scanning probe microscopic system in a short period of time by combining the atomic force microscope and the scanning tunnelling microscope which was manufactured in Juche 93 or 2004. The atomic force microscope newly developed and manufactured by researchers of Kim Il Sung University makes it possible to develop nano technology, education and scientific researches of the country onto a higher level. Now they are concentrating efforts on the research work to further improve the performance of the scanning probe microscopic system and widen the range of its application.