Nanosurf easyScan 2 AFM User manual

Operating Instructions
easyScan 2 AFM
Version 1.6

‘NANOSURF’ AND THE NANOSURF LOGO ARE TRADEMARKS OF NANOSURF AG, REGIS-
TERED AND/OR OTHERWISE PROTECTED IN VARIOUS COUNTRIES.
© MAY 07 BY NANOSURF AG, SWITZERLAND, PROD.:BT02089, V1.6R0

3
The easyScan 2 AFM 9
Features...............................................................................................10
easyScan 2 Controller 10
Scan Heads 12
Measurement modes 13
Components of the System .................................................................15
Contents of the Tool set 17
Connectors, Indicators and Controls ...................................................18
The Scan head 18
The Controller 18
Installing the easyScan 2 AFM 21
Installing the Hardware ........................................................................22
Installing the Basic AFM Package 23
Installing the AFM Video Module 24
Installing the Signal Module: S 24
Installing the Signal Module: A 24
Turning on the Controller 24
Storing the Instrument .........................................................................25
Installing the Software .........................................................................26
Step 1 - Installation of hardware drivers 27
Step 2 - Installation of the easyScan 2 software 33
Step 3 - Installation of DirectX 9 34
Installing the software on different computers 34
Installing the drivers for the AFM Video Module 34
Preparing for Measurement 36
Initialising the easyScan 2 controller ...................................................36
Installing the cantilever ........................................................................37
Selecting a cantilever 37
Inserting the cantilever in the Scan head 38
Installing the sample ............................................................................41
Preparing the Sample 41
Nanosurf Samples 42
Stand-alone measurements 44
The sample stage 45
Mounting a sample onto the sample holder 45
A First Measurement 47
Running the microscope simulation.....................................................47
Preparing the instrument .....................................................................48
Entering values in the control panels 48
Table of contents

TABLE OF CONTENTS
4
Approaching the sample......................................................................50
Manual Coarse approach 51
Manual approach using the approach stage 51
Automatic final approach 52
Starting a measurement ......................................................................54
Selecting a measurement area............................................................55
Storing the measurement ....................................................................57
Creating a report..................................................................................57
Finishing ..............................................................................................58
Improving measurement quality 60
Removing interfering signals ...............................................................60
Judging measurement quality..............................................................61
Adjusting the measurement plane .......................................................62
Measurement modes 65
Static Force .........................................................................................65
Dynamic Force ....................................................................................66
Phase Contrast....................................................................................67
Phase measurement 68
Force Modulation.................................................................................69
Spreading Resistance .........................................................................70
The Signal Modules 72
Signal Module: S .................................................................................72
Signal Module: A .................................................................................73
Using the User Inputs and Outputs 75
Maintenance 76
Scan head 76
Scan electronics 76
Problems and Solutions 77
Software and Driver problems .............................................................77
No connection to microscope 77
USB Port error 77
Driver problems 78
AFM measurement problems ..............................................................80
Probe Status light blinks red 80
Image quality suddenly deteriorates 81
Nanosurf support .................................................................................81
Self help 81
Assistance 82
AFM Theory 83

5
Scanning Probe Microscopy ................................................................83
The Nanosurf easyScan 2 AFM...........................................................84
The user interface 87
The main window.................................................................................87
Operating windows ..............................................................................88
Measurement document windows .......................................................89
Tool bars..............................................................................................89
Arranging tool bars 89
Control panels......................................................................................90
Arranging control panels 91
Storing and retrieving the workspace 91
Entering values in the control panels 92
Storing and retrieving measurement parameters 93
The User Interface Dialog....................................................................94
Hardware setup 95
The Operating mode panel..................................................................95
STM mode 96
Static Force mode 97
The User Signal Editor 98
Dynamic Force mode 99
Phase Contrast mode 101
Force Modulation mode 102
Spreading Resistance mode 102
The Z-Controller Panel ......................................................................102
Cantilever types configuration ...........................................................105
The cantilever browser dialog 106
The cantilever editor dialog 107
Scan head configuration ....................................................................107
The scan head selector dialog 107
The scan head calibration editor 108
The Scan Axis Correction Dialog 110
The Controller Configuration dialog ...................................................110
The Edit Access Codes Dialog ..........................................................112
The Scan head Diagnosis dialog .......................................................112
Simulate Microscope .........................................................................112
The About dialog................................................................................113
Positioning 115
The Approach panel ..........................................................................115
The Video panel.................................................................................118
Imaging 120
The imaging bar.................................................................................121

TABLE OF CONTENTS
6
The Imaging panel.............................................................................123
Spectroscopy 128
The Spectroscopy bar .......................................................................129
The Spectroscopy panel....................................................................130
Viewing measurement data 134
Charts ................................................................................................134
Storing and retrieving the chart arrangement 135
The Chart bar ...................................................................................135
The Chart properties dialog 137
Changing the appearance of the 3D view 138
The Color Palette dialog 139
The Data Info panel ...........................................................................140
Quick Evaluation Tools 141
The Tool Results panel .....................................................................141
The Tools bar ....................................................................................141
Storing measurements and further data processing 151
Storing and Printing measurements ..................................................151
Creating a report................................................................................153
The Report Menu 154
The Report generator configuration dialog 155
Automating measurement tasks 156
The Script Menu ................................................................................156
The Script Editor................................................................................157
The Script Configuration Dialog.........................................................158
Quick Reference 162

7

TABLE OF CONTENTS
8
About this Manual
This manual is divided in two parts, the first part gives instructions on how
to set up and use your Nanosurf easyScan 2 AFM system. The second part
is a reference for the Nanosurf easyScan 2 Control Software. It applies to
software version 1.6. If you are using a newer software version, try to down-
load a newer version of the manual from the Nanosurf support pages, or
refer to the ‘Whats new’ file that is installed in the Manuals subdirectory of
the directory where the easyScan 2 software is installed.
The first part of the manual starts with the chapter Installing the easyScan 2
AFM, which should be read when installing your easyScan 2 AFM system.
The chapters Preparing for Measurement and A First Measurement should be
read by all users, because they contain useful instructions for everyday
measurements. The other chapters give more information for advanced or
interested users.
The second part of the manual starts with chapter The user interface (p.87).
This part is a description of the function of the buttons and inputs in the
dialogs and control panels of the easyScan Control software. Chapter Quick
Reference (p.162) gives links to the description of each Control Panel, Dia-
log, Menu item and Operating Window.
For more information on the optional Scripting interface, refer to the on-
line help file easyScan 2 Programmers Manual, that is installed together with
the easyScan 2 software.
For more information on the optional Nanosurf Report software, refer to
the on-line help, included with the Nanosurf Report software.

9
The easyScan 2 AFM
The Nanosurf easyScan 2 AFM is an atomic force microscope system that
can make nanometer scale resolution measurements of topography and sev-
eral other properties of a sample. The easyScan 2 AFM system is a modular
scanning probe system that can be upgraded to obtain more measurement
capabilities. The main parts of the basic system are the easyScan 2 AFM
scan head, the AFM Sample stage, the easyScan 2 Controller with AFM
Basic module, and the easyScan 2 software. At the time of publication, the
following parts can be used with the easyScan 2 system:
• STM Scan Head: makes atomic scale measurements. Refer to the easy-
Scan 2 STM Operating Instructions for more details.
• AFM Dynamic Module: adds dynamic mode measurement capabilities
for measuring delicate samples.
• AFM Mode Extension Module: adds phase contrast, force modulation
and current measurement capabilities.
• AFM Video Module: allows observation of the approach on the computer
screen. This is especially useful when observation using the lenses is
impractical.
• Signal Modules: allow monitoring signals (Module: S) and creating cus-
tom measurement modes (Module: A). Refer to chapter The Signal Mod-
ules (p.72) for more details.
• Micrometre Translation Stage: for reproducibly finding a specific posi-
tion on the sample.
• Nanosurf Report: software for simple automatic evaluation and reporting
of surface measurements.
• Nanosurf Analysis: software for detailed analysis of scanning probe meas-
urements.
• Scripting Interface: software for automating measurements. Refer to
chapter Automating measurement tasks (p.156) and the Programmer’s
Manual for more details.

THE EASYSCAN 2 AFM
10
• TS-150 active vibration isolation table: reduces the sensitivity of the
instrument to vibrations in its environment.
Features
easyScan 2 Controller
Electronics
Control Software
Controller size / weight 470x120x80 mm / 2.4 kg
Power supply 90 - 240 V~/ 30 W 50/60 Hz
Computer interface (Appr. controller serial number 23-06-030
and higher)
Integrated USB hub 2 Ports (100mA max)
Scan generator 16 bit D/A converter for all axes
Scan speed Up to 60ms/line at 128 datapoints/line
Scan drive signals ± 10 V, no high voltage
Measurement channels 16bit A/D converters, up to seven signals
depending on mode.
Scan area and data points Individual width/height, up to 2048 x 2048
points
Scan image rotation 0 - 360°
Sample tilt compensation Hardware X/Y-slope compensation
Spectroscopy modes Single point measurement or multiple meas-
urements along vector
Spectroscopy measurement
averaging
1 - 1024 times
Spectroscopy data points Up to 2048
Simultaneous display of data
in charts types
Line graph, Color map, 3D view, …
User profiles Customisable display and parameter settings

FEATURES
11
Nanosurf easyScan 2 Scripting Interface
Computer requirements
Computer not included with system.
Nanosurf easyScan 2 Signal Module: S
Nanosurf easyScan 2 Signal Module: A
On-line processing func-
tions
Mean fit, Polynomial fit, Derived data, …
Quick evaluation functions distance, angle, cross section, roughness, …
Data export BMP, ASCII, CSV, …
Applications Automating measurement tasks, lithography,
custom evaluation functions, using third
party measurement equipment
Included control software Windows Scripting Host: Visual Basic Script,
Java Script, …
Remote control by COM compatible languages: LabView,
MathLab, Visual Basic, Delphi, C++, …
Operating system require-
ment
Windows 2000, XP, Vista
Electronics interface USB port
Recommended PC hardware Pentium 4/M or AMD Athlon, 256MB
RAM, True color > 1024x786 video card,
HW Open GL accelerator
Available output signals X-Axis, Y-Axis, Z-Axis, Approach, Tip Volt-
age, STM Current or AFM Deflection,
Excitation, Amplitude, Phase
Full scale corresponds to ±10 V, Excitation: ±5 V
Power supply output GND, +15 V, -15 V
Output signal All output signals of Signal Module: S
Simultaneous display of data
in charts types
Line graph, Color map, 3D view, …

THE EASYSCAN 2 AFM
12
User inputs can optionally be measured in all Imaging and Spectroscopy
modes.
User outputs can be modulated in Spectroscopy measurements.
Scan Heads
1) Manufacturing tolerances are ±15 % for 10 µm and 70 µm heads,
±10 % for 110 µm scan heads. The exact values are given on the calibration
certificate delivered with the instrument.
2) Calculated by dividing the maximum range by 16 bits
Scanner features
Additional analog user out-
puts
2x 16 bit D/A converters, ±10 V
Synchronisation output 1x TTL: start, end, point sync
Additional signal modulation
inputs
X-Axis, Y-Axis, Z-Axis, Tip Voltage, Excita-
tion
Free connectors 2x Aux, connection made on user request
Modulation range ±10 V, Excitation: ±5 V
Additional analog user inputs 2x 16 bit A/D converters, ±10 V
Additional modes Almost unlimited
AFM Scan Head: 10 µm 70 µm 110 µm
Maximum Scan range 1) 10 µm 70 µm 110 µm
Maximum Z-range 2 µm 14 µm 22 µm
Drive resolution Z 2) 0.027 nm 0.21 nm 0.34 nm
Drive resolution XY 2) 0.15 nm 1.1 nm 1.7 nm
XY-Linearity Mean Error <0.6% <1.2% <0.6%
Z measurement noise level
(RMS, Static Mode)
0.07 nm
(max. 0.2 nm)
0.6 nm
(max. 0.8 nm)
0.4 nm
(max. 0.55 nm)
Z measurement noise level
(RMS, Dynamic Mode)
0.04 nm
(max. 0.07 nm)
0.5 nm
(max. 0.8 nm)
0.3 nm
(max. 0.55 nm)
Design Tripod stand-alone

FEATURES
13
Compatible cantilevers
Measurement modes
AFM Basic Module
The AFM Basic Module is required for using AFM Scan Heads.
Sample size Unlimited
Automatic approach range 5 mm
Max. approach speed 0.1 mm/s
Alignment of cantilever Automatic adjustment
Electrical connection to tip Available
Scan head weight 350 g
Sample observation optics Dual lens system (top/side view)
Optical magnification Top x12 / side x10
View field Top 4x4 mm / side 5x3 mm
Sample illumination White LEDs sideways illumination, adjust-
able brightness
Manufacturers NanoSensors® and
NanoWorld®
Applied Nanostructures
Static modes CONTR, LFMR, ZEILR SICONA
Dynamic modes NCLR, ZEIHR, EFM,
MFMR
ACLA, MAGT, FORTA
Spreading Resist-
ance mode
CONTPt, NCLPt, CDT-
NCLR
ANSCM-PC, ANSCM-
PT
Available tips Standard, SuperSharp Sili-
con, HighAspectRatio,
Diamond
Rotated pyramidal (stand-
ard)
Typical static load 10 nN
Imaging modes Static Force (Contact): Const. Force (Topo-
graphy), Const. Height (Deflection)
Spectroscopy modes Force-Distance, Force-Tip voltage
Tip voltage ±10 V in 5 mV steps

THE EASYSCAN 2 AFM
14
AFM Dynamic Module
The AFM Basic Module is required for using the AFM Dynamic Module.
AFM Mode Extension Module
Both the AFM Basic Module and the AFM Dynamic Module are required
for using the AFM Mode Extension Module.
AFM Video Module
Micrometre Translation Stage
Additional imaging modes Dynamic Force (Intermittent Contact,
etc.): Const. Amplitude (Topography),
Const. Height (Amplitude)
Additional spectroscopy modes Amplitude-Distance
Dynamic frequency range 15kHz - 300kHz
Dynamic frequency resolution < 0.1Hz
Additional imaging modes Phase Contrast, Force Modulation, Spread-
ing Resistance
Additional spectroscopy
modes
Phase-Distance, Current-Voltage, Current-
Distance etc.
Phase contrast range ± 90°
Phase contrast resolution < 0.05°
Phase reference range 0 - 360°
Tip current measurement ± 100µA, 3nA resolution
Camera system Dual video (top/side view)
Magnification Top: 100x / side: 70x
View field Top: 3.2x2.7 mm / side: 4.1x3.4 mm
Image pixels 352x288
Video display In control software, can be saved as JPEG
Analog video output PAL Video-S
Additional sample illumina-
tion
Version 2 video cameras: constant axial illu-
mination for top view
X-Y resolution < 0.5 µm

COMPONENTS OF THE SYSTEM
15
Components of the System
This section describes the parts that may be delivered with an easyScan 2
AFM system. The contents of delivery can vary from system to system,
depending on which parts were ordered. To find out which parts are
included in your system, refer to the delivery note shipped with your sys-
tem. Some of modules listed in the delivery note are built into the Control-
ler. Their presence is indicated by the status lights on the top surface of the
Controller when it is turned on (section Connectors, Indicators and Controls
(p.18)).
1. easyScan 2 Controller with a built in AFM Basic Module, and option-
ally with built in AFM Dynamic Module, AFM Mode Extension Mod-
ule, Video Module electronics and Signal Module A or S electronics
Tr a v e l 1 3 m m
Components: The easyScan 2 AFM system
1
7
12
32
4 5 6
18
13 17
19

THE EASYSCAN 2 AFM
16
2. USB cable
3. Mains cable
4. easyScan 2 AFM Scan head(s) with AFM Video Camera (with AFM
Video Module)
5. Scan head case
6. Scan head cable
7. Video Camera cable (with AFM Video Module)
8. AFM calibration certificate
9. This easyScan 2 AFM Operating Instructions manual
10. easyScan 2 Software Reference manual
11. easyScan 2 Installation CD: Contains software, calibration files, and
PDF files of all manuals
12. AFM Tool set (option). The contents of the AFM Tool set are described
in the next section.
13. AFM Extended Sample Kit (option, not shown) with set of 10 samples
and description of experiments.
14. AFM Sample Stage (option)
15. Micrometre Translation Stage (option)
16. User's Guide; Translation Stage, Model: 9064 (with Micrometre Trans-
lation Stage)
17. Positioning Tool Set (with Micrometre Translation Stage)
18. Break-out cable (with Signal Module: S)
19. Connector box (with Signal Module: A)
20. Signal Module cables (2x) (with Signal Module: A)
21. Scripting Interface Certificate of purchase with Activation key printed
on it (with Scripting Interface)
22. Instrument Case
The package may also contain easyScan 2 STM head(s) and modules for the
STM, which are described in the STM Operating Instructions

COMPONENTS OF THE SYSTEM
17
Contents of the Tool set
The contents of the Tool set depends on the available modules. It may con-
tain:
1. Ground cable
2. Protection feet
3. Cantilever tweezers: ACA 103
4. Screwdriver, 2.3mm
5. Cantilever insertion tool (usually mounted in DropStop)
6. DropStop
7. Sample holder (with AFM Sample Stage)
8. a) AFM Large Scan Sample kit (option) with Grid: 10µm / 100nm, CD
ROM piece
b) AFM High Resolution Sample Kit (option) with Grid: 660 nm,
Graphite (HOPG) sample on sample support
c) AFM Basic Sample Kit (option, no longer available) with CD-ROM
Sample, Microstructure sample
9. AFM Calibration Samples Kit (option) with Calibration grid: 10µm/
100nm, Calibration grid: 660nm, Flatness sample
10. Set of 10 CONTR cantilevers (option)
11. Set of 10 NCLR cantilevers (option)
Contents of the AFM Tool set
12
7
6
8
9 10
1 2 3
4
5
11

THE EASYSCAN 2 AFM
18
12. USB dongle for the Nanosurf Report software (option)
Connectors, Indicators and Controls
Use this section to find the location of the parts of the easyScan 2 AFM that
are referred to in this manual.
The Scan head
The Controller
Status lights
All status lights on top of the Controller will light up for one second when
the power is turned on.
The Probe Status light
Indicates the status of the Z-Feedback loop. It can indicate the following
statuses:
red The scanner is in its upper limit position. This occurs
when the tip-sample interaction is stronger than the
set point for some time. There is danger of damaging
the tip due to too high an interaction.
Parts of the scan head: Scan head with video camera
Scan head cable
connector
Levelling
screws
Ground
connector
Socket for Cantilever
insertion tool
Cantilever on
Alignment chip
Camera
connector
Scan head
serial number

CONNECTORS, INDICATORS AND CONTROLS
19
orange/yellow The scanner is in its lower limit position. This occurs
when the tip-sample interaction is weaker than the set
point for some time. The tip is probably not in contact
with the sample surface.
green The scanner is not in a limit position, and the feed-
back loop can measure the sample surface.
blinking green The feedback loop has been turned off in the software.
blinking red There is no signal with which to do feedback: The
light intensity on the photodetector of the laser beam
deflection system is too low. Refer to section Probe
Status light blinks red (p.80)) for more information.
The Scan Head lights
Indicate the scan head type that is connected to the instrument. The Scan
The easyScan 2 Controller
Video Out
connector
(optional)
Probe Status light
Scan head
cable connector
Video In
connector
(optional) Signal Out
connector
(optional) Signal In
connector
(optional)
Scan Head lights
Module lights
Power
switch
USB active
light
Mains power
connector
USB power
light
USB input
(from PC)
Controller
Serial number
USB outputs
(to dongle)
S/N: 23-05-001

THE EASYSCAN 2 AFM
20
head lights blink when no scan head can be detected, or when the Control-
ler has not been initialised yet.
The Module lights
Indicate the modules that are built in into the Controller. The module
lights blink when the Controller has not been initialised yet. During initial-
isation, the Module lights are turned on one after the other.