Probing system for measurement of micro-scale components

The need for quality control of the complex micro-structure has been growing due to increased production of parts with complex 3D micro-scale features. However, wide use of 3D metrology of miniature parts is difficult due to the lack of cost-effective and precise probing system at the micro-scale. This paper introduces a new probing system using a wire-based probe and acoustic emission (AE)-based sensing method. The design of the probing system allows the size of the probe to be varied relatively easily. Repeatability of less than 1 μm has been achieved with the proposed probing system.