Method and Apparatus of Operating a Scanning Probe Microscope

摘要

Methods and apparatuses are provided for automatically controlling and stabilizing aspects of a scanning probe microscope (SPM), such as an atomic force microscope (AFM), using Peak Force Tapping (PFT) Mode. In an embodiment, a controller automatically controls periodic motion of a probe relative to a sample in response to a substantially instantaneous force determined, and automatically controls a gain in a feedback loop. A gain control circuit automatically tunes a gain based on separation distances between a probe and a sample to facilitate stability. Accordingly, instability onset is quickly and accurately determined during scanning, thereby eliminating the need of expert user tuning of gains during operation.

主权项

1. A method for monitoring effectiveness a scanning probe microscope (SPM), the method comprising:
providing relative motion between a probe and a sample and controlling that motion using a feedback loop; detecting an attractive force between the probe and the sample; and comparing the attractive force to a predetermined threshold.