Chapter 3
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| is far greater than the desired features is typically made. After the initial scan, a zoomed scan is made of the specific region of interest (see Figure 3-6). Often it is necessary to zoom in many times before it is possible to get an image of the region of interest. |
| After the scanning is completed, the tip retract function is activated.
Once the probe is removed from the surface, the sample can be removed
from the microscope stage. |
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| FIGURE 3-6 Typically a large area is scanned (left) and then a smaller area is scanned so that a high resolution image is made of a specific area. |
3.6 AFM Scanning Suggestions |
High Resolution Scanning |
Learning to measure AFM images with a resolution of 50 nm is very simple. It can be considerably harder when higher resolution images are required. It is recommended that when learning to measure images with < 50 nm resolution, a tip check sample is used. After practicing with the tip checker sample and getting great images, switch to other "unknown" samples. |
Choosing a Topography Scanning Mode |
There are two primary topography scanning modes (see Section 4.1), contact mode and vibrating mode. Contact mode should be used with hard samples and when a resolution of > 50 nm is required. Vibrating mode should be used on soft samples and when a resolution of < 50 nm is required |
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