As technology advances, isolating equipment from vibrations becomes increasingly necessary. For example, the profiling performance of the SPM, including STM (Scanning Tunneling Microscopy), AFM (Atomic Force Microscopy), and NSOM (Near Field Scanning Optical Microscopy), contact and non-contact type surface profiling equipment, and SEM have all reached the nano and pico range. For holographic and interferometric applications, a quiescent environment is required for accurate measurement.

In order to achieve such accuracy, measurements must be taken in an extremely stable environment. To protect equipment and to obtain reliable measurement data, vibrations and acoustic energy must be eliminated before they reach the sample and sensor. Floor vibrations cause unacceptable levels of disturbances which impair system performance. Floor vibrations, acoustic noise, along with other environmental factors must be considered before installing vibration sensitive equipment.

As a designer and manufacturer of vibration isolation systems we are constantly asked: "How do I solve the vibration/noise problems in my environment?" The answer to this question depends on many factors, such as the type of environment in which the equipment

will be installed, the required accuracy of the application, acoustic effects, space constraints, and, of course, budget constraints.

HERZAN systems place an emphasis on "precision vibration isolation". HERZAN systems focus on applications requiring nanometer or smaller resolution, and where equipment must be isolated from noisy, imperfect environments.

There are two approaches used to reduce vibrations. The first method eliminates vibrations at the source. Ideally, one would isolate the equipment causing unacceptable vibrations from the surrounding environment. Many times this can be accomplished with simplistic methods, such as foam, mass or viscoelastic materials. Herzan does provide solutions for isolating vibration sources, unfortunately in many cases it is not practical to identify and isolate the source, so an alternative method must be chosen. If vibrations cannot be isolated 'at the source', then the sensitive equipment must be isolated 'from the vibrating source.'

HERZAN uses a systems approach when solving isolation problems. This means that we not only consider the isolation system, but also the support upon which it is mounted and the environment in which the system will be placed. One of the most important factors in solving vibration isolation issues is making sure individual components do not inhibit overall system performance. The vibrational characteristics of individual structures can change as they are incorporated into other

structures. All components of the isolation system must be rigidly connected and should not introduce unwanted structural resonances. Herzan systems are built, tested and sold as a complete system so that we can provide fully integrated solutions that eliminate the guesswork for our customers. As a user of Herzan isolation systems, you are guaranteed performance.

VIBRATION SOURCES

It is possible to touch any surface and feel vibrations. Vibration sources can occur naturally in an environment, such as the wind or earth movements. But more often the sources are manmade, emanating from sources like machinery and traffic. The range of accelerations can vary greatly, extending from large easily detectable vibrations such as earthquakes to very small vibrations emanating from the floor which are more difficult to detect. Continued...