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

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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
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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

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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
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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

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TABLE OF CONTENTS
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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.

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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
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• 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