Evaluation and fabrication of AFM array for ESA-Midas /Rosetta space mission

The MIDAS (Micro-Imaging Dust Analysis System) experiment is dedicated to t he micro-textural and statistical analysis of cometary dust particles. The instrument is based on the technique of atomic force microscopy. The compar ative simplicity and robustness of the technique lends itself to advanced s pace applications. The instrument is considered as essential for this missi on since, for the first time, it has the capability of three-dimensional im aging of interplanetary and pristine cometary particles in the manometer to micrometer range. In this paper we describe our effort to evaluate and fab ricate the AFM arrays for the ESA-Midas/Rosetta space mission. (C) 2001 Els evier Science B.V. All rights reserved.