Veeco 004-210-000 User manual

Document Revision History: MultiMode SPM Instruction Manual
Revision Date Section(s) Affected Reference Approval
B 3-09-04 All. N/A C. Kowalski
4.31ce “A” 27OCT97 Chapters 3, 5 and 8 168, 185,
189
4.22ce 14FEB97 TOC, TOW, Chapters 2, 5, 7, 11, 12, 13, 15
and Index
139
4.22 15JUL96 Released 8
MultiMode SPM Instruction Manual
NanoScope Software Version 5
004-210-000
004-210-100
Copyright © [1996, 1997, 2004] Veeco Instruments Inc.
All rights reserved.

Notices: The information in this document is subject to change without notice. NO WARRANTY OF ANY KIND IS MADE WITH REGARD TO
THIS MATERIAL, INCLUDING, BUT NOT LIMITED TO, THE IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY AND FITNESS FOR A
PARTICULAR PURPOSE. No liability is assumed for errors contained herein or for incidental or consequential damages in connection with the
furnishing, performance, or use of this material. This document contains proprietary information which is protected by copyright. No part of this
document may be photocopied, reproduced, or translated into another language without prior written consent.
Copyright: Copyright © 2004 Veeco Instruments Inc. All rights reserved.
Trademark Acknowledgments: The following are registered trademarks of Veeco Instruments Inc. All other trademarks are the property of their
respective owners.
Product Names:
NanoScope®
MultiMode™
Dimension™
BioScope™
Atomic Force Profiler™ (AFP™)
Dektak®
Software Modes:
TappingMode™
Tapping™
TappingMode+™
LiftMode™
AutoTune™
TurboScan™
Fast HSG™
PhaseImaging™
DekMap 2™
HyperScan™
StepFinder™
SoftScan™
Hardware Designs:
TrakScan™
StiffStage™
Hardware Options:
TipX®
Signal Access Module™ and SAM™
Extender™
TipView™
Interleave™
LookAhead™
Quadrex™
Software Options:
NanoScript™
Navigator™
FeatureFind™
Miscellaneous:
NanoProbe®

Rev. B MultiMode SPM Instruction Manual 3
Ta ble of Contents
Chapter 1 Introduction to the Digital Instruments MultiMode SPM 1
1.1 Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
1.2 Safety . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
1.2.1 Six Rules of Safety . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
1.2.2 Safety Requirements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
1.2.3 Safety Precautions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
1.3 Microscope Specifications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
1.3.1 Image Size and Resolution . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
1.3.2 Scanning Techniques with the MultiMode SPM . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
1.3.3 Controller Electronics and Auxiliary Channels . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
Chapter 2 SPM Fundamentals for the MultiMode 17
2.1 Hardware . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
2.1.1 MultiMode SPM . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
2.1.2 SPM Head . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
2.1.3 Scanners . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
2.1.4 Tipholders . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
2.1.5 Probes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
2.2 Control Mechanisms and Feedback . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28
2.2.1 A brief history of SPM control mechanisms . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28
2.3 Feedback Gains . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30
2.3.1 Proportional and Integral Gain An Analogy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30
2.3.2 Proportional Gain . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31
2.3.3 Integral Gain . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32
2.3.4 LookAhead Gain . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32
2.3.5 Completing the Analogy Feedback Gains in SPM . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32
2.3.6 Setpoint . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33
2.3.7 The SPM Electronic Feedback Loop . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33
2.3.8 More about Feedback and Images . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34
2.3.9 What Data Type of Image? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36
2.4 Control Parameters and Feedback . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37
2.4.1 Reexamining the Control Loop . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37
2.4.2 General Description of Main Menu Items . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38
2.4.3 User Example . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39
2.4.4 Review of General Operating Concepts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39

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2.5 Review of TappingMode AFM . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43
2.5.1 General Operating Concepts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43
2.5.2 Optimizing the TappingMode AFM Signal after Engagement . . . . . . . . . . . 45
2.6 Terms and Abbreviations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46
Chapter 3 Setup & Installation 49
3.1 Installing the MultiMode SPM . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49
3.2 Component List . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49
3.2.1 Unpack The System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51
3.2.2 Vibration Isolation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55
3.2.3 System Power Up . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56
Chapter 4 Cantilever Preparation 57
4.1 Silicon Cantilever Substrates . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57
4.1.1 Tip Shape of Etched Silicon Probes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59
4.2 Silicon Nitride Cantilever Substrates . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64
4.2.1 Tip Shape of Silicon Nitride Probes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66
Chapter 5 Head, Probe and Sample Preparation 69
5.1 Initial Preparation for Contact AFM Imaging . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 72
5.1.1 Prepare the Sample . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 72
5.1.2 Load the Sample . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 73
5.1.3 Load Probe in Tipholder . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 75
5.1.4 Install the Tipholder . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 77
5.2 Laser Alignment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 78
5.2.1 Method 1: OMV Method . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 78
5.2.2 Method 2: The Projection Method . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 79
5.2.3 Maximize the SUM Signal . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 83
5.3 Start the Microscope Program . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 84
5.4 MultiMode SPM Voltage Meters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 85
Chapter 6 Contact AFM Mode 87
6.1 Preparation Prior to Imaging . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 88
6.1.1 Adjust the Detector Offsets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 88
6.1.2 Signal Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 89
6.1.3 Adjust tip height above sample surface . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 90
6.1.4 Position Tip with OMV . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 90
6.2 Suggested Initial Control Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 91
6.2.1 Show All Items . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 91
6.2.2 Initial Scan Parameter Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 92
6.3 Initiate the Engage Command . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 95
6.3.1 Adjust Setpoint with Force Calibration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 95
6.3.2 Adjust Sensitivity (if required) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 98

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6.4 Beyond the Basics of AFM Operation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 98
6.4.1 Cantilever Selection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 98
6.5 Optimization of Scanning Parameters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 99
6.5.1 Data type . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 99
6.5.2 Gain settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 100
6.5.3 Scan size and Scan rate . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 100
6.5.4 Setpoint . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 101
6.5.5 Lowpass filter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 101
6.5.6 Highpass filter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 101
Chapter 7 TappingMode AFM 103
7.1 Basic Principle of TappingMode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 104
7.2 Preparation Prior to Imaging . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 105
7.2.1 Switch to TappingMode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 105
7.2.2 Show All Items . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 105
7.2.3 Check Parameters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 106
7.2.4 Adjust Laser and Photodetector . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 107
7.2.5 Additional preparations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 109
7.2.6 Tune the Cantilever . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 109
7.2.7 Setting the Drive Amplitude and Setpoint . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 112
7.3 Engaging The Microscope . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 113
7.4 Withdrawing the Tip . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 115
7.5 Beyond Basics with Resonating Techniques . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 115
7.5.1 Subtleties of Cantilever Oscillation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 115
7.5.2 Tuning the Cantilever Drive Frequency . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 117
7.5.3 Optimization of Scanning Parameters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 118
Chapter 8 Fluid Operation 121
8.1 Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 123
8.2 General Fluid Operation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 123
8.2.1 Clean Fluid Cell and O-ring . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 125
8.2.2 Select the Probe . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 125
8.2.3 Remove Organic Contamination from the Tip . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 126
8.2.4 Load the Fluid Cell with a Probe . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 126
8.2.5 Sample Mounting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 127
8.2.6 Align the Laser. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 131
8.2.7 Adjust the Detector Offsets and Setpoint (Contact Mode) . . . . . . . . . . . . . 132
8.2.8 Engage the Surface . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 132
8.2.9 Adjust Scan Parameters (Contact Mode). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 132
8.2.10 Clean and Dry Parts When Done. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 133
8.3 TappingMode in Fluids . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 134
8.3.1 Procedure for TappingMode Imaging in Fluid . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 134
8.3.2 Plotting Amplitude vs. Distance (Force Cal Curve) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 136
8.3.3 Optimizing Image Quality . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 137

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8.4 Troubleshooting Tips. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 138
8.4.1 Cantilever Tune Plot Looks Poor: Loose Probetip . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 138
8.4.2 Laser Sum Signal Absent or Weak: Air Bubbles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 138
8.4.3 Poor Image Quality . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 138
8.4.4 Lost Particulate Samples: Attracted to Cantilever. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 139
8.4.5 Drift in AFM Image Because O-ring Slid Across Sample Surface . . . . . . . 139
8.5 General Notes on Sample Binding . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 141
8.6 Lysozyme on Mica A Model Procedure for Protein Binding . . . . . . . 142
8.6.1 Protein Binding Theory . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 142
8.6.2 Protein Binding Procedure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 142
8.7 Binding DNA to Mica. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 145
8.7.1 DNA Binding Theory . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 145
8.7.2 DNA Binding Procedure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 145
8.7.3 Acknowledgments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 146
Chapter 9 Scanning Tunneling Microscopy (STM) 147
9.1 STM Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 148
9.1.1 Overview of STM . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 148
9.1.2 STM Hardware . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 149
9.1.3 Sample Surface . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 150
9.1.4 Vibration isolation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 150
9.2 Basic STM Operation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 151
9.2.1 System Setup . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 151
9.3 Spectroscopy with the STM . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 153
9.3.1 STS plot modes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 153
9.3.2 Operation of STS. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 154
9.4 Troubleshooting for STM . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 155
9.4.1 Head and Microscope-related Problems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 155
9.5 Low-Current STM. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 156
9.5.1 Description . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 156
9.5.2 Hardware Description . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 157
9.5.3 Precautions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 157
9.5.4 Installation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 158
9.5.5 Operation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 160
9.5.6 Servicing the Converter. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 162
9.6 Etching Tungsten Tips. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 164
9.6.1 Procedure. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 165
Chapter 10 Lateral Force Mode 167
10.1 Basic LFM Operation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 168
10.2 Advanced LFM Operation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 169
10.2.1 Scan Direction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 169
10.2.2 Tip selection. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 170
10.2.3 Understanding the LFM Signal . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 170

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10.2.4 Understanding the Color Scale . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 171
10.2.5 Using TMR Voltage to Measure Friction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 172
10.2.6 Enhancing the LFM Data by Subtracting Two Images . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 172
10.2.7 Height Artifacts in the Signal . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 173
Chapter 11 Force Imaging 175
11.1 Force Plots—An Analogy. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 177
11.2 Force Calibration Mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 178
11.2.1 Example Force Plot . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 180
11.2.2 Contact AFM Force Plots . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 181
11.3 Force Calibration Control Panels and Menus. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 183
11.3.1 Main Controls (Ramp Controls) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 184
11.3.2 Main Controls Panel (Display) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 185
11.3.3 Channel 1, 2, 3 Panels . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 186
11.3.4 Feedback Controls Panel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 187
11.3.5 Scan Mode Panel (Advanced Mode Only) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 188
11.3.6 Menu Bar Commands . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 190
11.4 Force Calibration (Contact Mode AFM) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 191
11.4.1 Obtaining a Good Force Curve . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 191
11.4.2 Helpful Suggestions. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 192
11.4.3 Advanced Techniques . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 194
11.4.4 Interpreting Force Curves . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 198
11.5 Force Calibration (TappingMode) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 199
11.5.1 Force Plots . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 199
11.5.2 Obtaining a Force Plot (TappingMode) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 201
11.5.3 High Contact Force . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 203
11.5.4 Tip Selection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 203
11.6 Force Modulation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 204
11.6.1 Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 204
11.6.2 Selecting a Force Modulation Tip . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 205
11.6.3 Operating Principle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 206
11.6.4 Force Modulation Procedure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 206
11.6.5 Notes About Artifacts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 211
11.7 Force Modulation with Negative LiftMode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 213
11.7.1 Set Interleave Controls. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 213
11.7.2 Obtain a TappingMode Image . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 214
11.7.3 Obtain a Negative LiftMode Force Modulation Image . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 214
11.8 Force Volume . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 215
Chapter 12 Interleave Scanning and LiftMode 217
12.1 Preface: Interleave Scanning & LiftMode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 218
12.2 Interleave Mode Description . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 219
12.3 Lift Mode Description . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 220
12.4 Operation of Interleave Scanning / Lift Mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 220

8 MultiMode SPM Instruction Manual Rev. B
12.5 Use of LiftMode with TappingMode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 222
12.5.1 Main Drive Amplitude and Frequency selection. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 222
12.5.2 Setpoint Selection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 222
12.5.3 Interleave Drive Amplitude and Frequency Selection. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 223
12.5.4 Amplitude Data Interpretation. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 223
12.5.5 Cantilever Oscillation Amplitude . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 224
Chapter 13 Magnetic Force (MFM) Imaging 225
13.1 Magnetic Force Imaging Theory. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 226
13.2 MFM Using Interleave Scanning and LiftMode. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 227
13.2.1 Procedure. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 228
13.2.2 Frequency Modulation. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 232
13.3 Installation of the Extender Electronics Modules . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 232
13.3.1 Basic Extender. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 232
13.3.2 Quadrex Extender . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 233
13.3.3 NanoScope IV . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 233
13.4 Software Setup Configuration (Basic, Quadrex or NSIV) . . . . . . . . . 234
13.5 Troubleshooting Suggestions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 234
13.5.1 MFM Image Verification . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 234
13.5.2 Saturation in Amplitude Detection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 235
13.5.3 Optical Interference . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 235
13.6 Advanced Topics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 235
13.6.1 Lift Scan Height and Magnetic Imaging Resolution. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 235
13.6.2 Fine Tuning Interleave Controls . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 236
Chapter 14 Electric Force (EFM) Imaging 239
14.1 Electric Force Microscopy Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 240
14.1.1 Electric Field Gradient Imaging Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 241
14.1.2 Surface Potential Imaging Overview. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 242
14.2 Electric Field Gradient Detection Theory . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 242
14.3 Electric Field Gradient Detection Preparation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 244
14.3.1 Jumper Configurations for systems without the Basic Extender Module . 246
14.3.2 Jumper Configurations for systems with the Basic Extender Module. . . . 251
14.4 Electric Field Gradient Detection Procedures . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 256
14.4.1 Phase Detection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 257
14.4.2 Amplitude Detection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 259
14.5 Surface Potential Detection Theory . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 261
14.6 Surface Potential Detection Preparation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 263
14.6.1 Applying Voltage to the Sample Directly . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 264
14.6.2 Applying Voltage to the Sample Through Piezo Cap . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 264
14.7 Surface Potential Imaging Procedure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 265
14.7.1 Troubleshooting the Surface Potential Feedback Loop. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 269

Rev. B MultiMode SPM Instruction Manual 9
Chapter 15 Calibration, Maintenance, Troubleshooting and
Warranty 271
15.1 SPM Calibration Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 275
15.1.1 Theory Behind Calibration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 276
15.1.2 Calibration References . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 280
15.2 Calibration Setup . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 281
15.2.1 Check Scanner Parameter Values . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 281
15.2.2 Align Calibration Reference . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 281
15.2.3 Set Realtime Parameters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 282
15.2.4 Set Up SPM for Contact AFM. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 282
15.3 Check Sample Orthogonality . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 283
15.3.1 Measure Orthogonality . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 283
15.3.2 Adjust Sample Orthogonality . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 283
15.4 Linearity Correction Procedure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 284
15.4.1 Adjust Mag0 and Arg. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 284
15.4.2 Adjusting Fast Mag1 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 287
15.4.3 Adjust Slow Mag1 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 288
15.5 X-Y Calibration using Capture Calibration and Autocalibration. . . . . 289
15.5.1 Capture Calibration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 289
15.6 Autocalibration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 292
15.7 Fine-tuning for X-Y Calibration. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 294
15.7.1 Prepare System for Fine-Tuning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 294
15.7.2 Measure Horizontally at 440V Scan Size . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 294
15.7.3 Measure Vertically at 440V Scan Size. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 296
15.7.4 Measure Horizontally at 150V Scan Size . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 297
15.7.5 Measure Vertically at 150V Scan Size. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 298
15.7.6 Change Scan angle and Repeat Calibration Routines . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 298
15.8 Calibrating Z. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 299
15.8.1 Engage . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 299
15.8.2 Capture and Correct an Image . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 300
15.8.3 Measure Vertical Features . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 301
15.8.4 Correct Z Sensitivity . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 303
15.8.5 Recheck Z-axis Measuring Accuracy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 303
15.8.6 Calculate Retracted and Extended Offset Deratings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 304
15.8.7 Finding a Pit with an A Scanner . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 305
15.9 Calibration of A Scanners for Atomic-scale Measurement . . . . . . . 306
15.9.1 Prepare Sample . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 306
15.10 Quick Guide to Piezo Tube Calibration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 309
15.10.1 Linearize Scanner . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 309
15.10.2 Run Autocalibration Software (Factory Operation) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 310
15.10.3 Fine Tune the X-Y Scanner . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 310
15.10.4 Calibrate the Z Piezo . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 311
15.11 Contact AFM Troubleshooting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 313
15.11.1 False engagement. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 313
15.11.2 Head appears engaged but does not track surface features . . . . . . . . . . . 314

10 MultiMode SPM Instruction Manual Rev. B
15.11.3 Head does not engage . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 314
15.11.4 Head engages immediately . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 315
15.11.5 Displacement of material. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 315
15.11.6 Lines in the image . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 315
15.11.7 Problems with silicon nitride cantilevers. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 315
15.11.8 Image vertical dimensions are not correct . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 316
15.11.9 Z Center Position goes out of range . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 316
15.11.10 Poor image quality. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 317
15.11.11 Force Calibration command does not seem to work . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 318
15.11.12 Image features appear washed out. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 318
15.11.13 Image is only black and white . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 318
15.11.14 Image goes white . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 318
15.12 TappingMode AFM Troubleshooting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 319
15.12.1 Streaks on the trailing edge of surface features. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 319
15.12.2 Lines across the image. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 320
15.12.3 Rings around features on the surface. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 321
15.12.4 Multiple or repeating patterns . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 322
15.12.5 Image goes white or black. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 323
15.13 Fluid Imaging Troubleshooting. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 323
15.13.1 Image drifts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 323
15.13.2 Leaks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 324
15.14 Adjustment Screw Maintenance Procedure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 324
15.14.1 Inspection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 324
15.14.2 Remove Adjustment Screws . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 326
15.14.3 Inspect for Physical Damage . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 326
15.14.4 Clean Guide Bushings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 327
15.14.5 Lubricate . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 327
15.14.6 Reinstall. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 327
15.15 Fuse Replacement Procedure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 328
15.16 Vertical Engagement Scanners Installation, Use, and Maintenance 329
15.16.1 Hardware Installation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 330
15.16.2 Select scanner . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 331
15.16.3 Inspect scanner . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 331
15.17 Troubleshooting the Vertical Engagement Scanners. . . . . . . . . . . . . 332
15.17.1 Scanner is not properly calibrated . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 332
15.17.2 Sample will not move (Tip Up/Down switch doesn t work) . . . . . . . . 332
15.18 Warranty . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 333
Index 335

Rev. B MultiMode SPM Instruction Manual 11/(12 Blank)

Rev. B MultiMode SPM Instruction Manual 13
List of Figures
Chapter 1 Introduction to the Digital Instruments MultiMode SPM . . . . . . . . .1
Figure 1.1a MultiMode SPM System Components . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3
Figure 1.2a Safety Symbols Key . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5
Chapter 2 SPM Fundamentals for the MultiMode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .17
Figure 2.1a MultiMode SPM System Hardware . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .18
Figure 2.1b MultiMode SPM . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .19
Figure 2.1c MultiMode SPM Head and Major Components . . . . . . . . . . . . .20
Figure 2.1d Quad Photodetector Arrangement. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .21
Figure 2.1e Various Scanners Available with the MultiMode SPM . . . . . . . .21
Figure 2.1f Typical Scanner Piezo Tube and X-Y-Z Electrical Configurations22
Figure 2.1g Voltages Applied to the X- and Y-axes Produce a Raster Scan Pattern
23
Figure 2.1h Various Tipholders utilized with the MultiMode SPM . . . . . . . .24
Figure 2.1i Diamond Tip Mounted on Wire for Microhardness Testing and
Lithography Work . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .25
Figure 2.1j Two Types of Cantilevered Probes. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .26
Figure 2.2a Tunneling Phenomenon Between Tip and Sample . . . . . . . . . . .28
Figure 2.2b Early Contact AFM which allowed Imaging Non-conductive Samples
29
Figure 2.2c Optical Lever for Monitoring Tip Movement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .29
Figure 2.4a Contact AFM Concepts (Steps 1-5 exaggerated.) . . . . . . . . . . . .41
Figure 2.5a TappingMode AFM Concepts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .44
Chapter 3 Setup & Installation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .49
Figure 3.2a MultiMode SPM Head . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .50
Figure 3.2b Typical MultiMode Shipping Boxes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .51
Figure 3.2c Hardware Setup. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .52
Figure 3.2d Rear View of Computer on Standard MultiMode Systems. . . . .53
Figure 3.2e Installing the Scanner . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .54
Figure 3.2f Installing the Head. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .55

List of Figures
14 MultiMode SPM Instruction Manual Rev. B
Chapter 4 Cantilever Preparation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57
Figure 4.1a Silicon Cantilever Substrates in Wafer. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58
Figure 4.1b Silicon Cantilever—Theoretical Tip Shape . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59
Figure 4.1c Silicon Probe Tip Profile Artifact (front to back). . . . . . . . . . . . 60
Figure 4.1d Silicon Probe Tip Step Profile Artifact (side-to-side) . . . . . . . . 61
Figure 4.1e Silicon Probe—Common Shape Artifact. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62
Figure 4.1f Common Silicon Probe Profile—Resultant Scan Artifact . . . . . 63
Figure 4.2a Silicon Nitride Cantilevers in a Wafer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64
Figure 4.2b Substrate Break-Off . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65
Figure 4.2c Substrate Shown with the 100 and 200µm Long Cantilevers . . 65
Figure 4.2d Silicon Nitride Cantilevers—Specifications and Tip Shape . . . 66
Figure 4.2e Silicon Nitride Cantilevers—Sidewall Profile Effect. . . . . . . . . 67
Chapter 5 Head, Probe and Sample Preparation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 69
Figure 5.1a Gently Press the Sample onto the Sticky Tab Until Secured . . . 72
Figure 5.1b MultiMode Base with Scanner Mounted on Support Ring . . . . 73
Figure 5.1c Head is Held Securely Using Retaining Springs . . . . . . . . . . . . 74
Figure 5.1d Tip Up / Down Switch on the MultiMode SPM’s Base. . . . . . . 74
Figure 5.1e Silicon Nitride Probe Tip Installation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 75
Figure 5.1f Underside Detail of Fluid Cell . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 76
Figure 5.1g Install Tipholder in Head without Touching the Sample . . . . . . 77
Figure 5.2a Laser Alignment with Piece of Paper. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 79
Figure 5.2b Etched Silicon Tip Laser Alignment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 80
Figure 5.2c Silicon Nitride Laser Alignment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 81
Figure 5.2d Signals Produced by the Photodetector are Optimized using the Head’s
Various Adjustments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 83
Figure 5.3a NanoScope Software Window . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 84
Figure 5.3b Microscope Select Dialog Box . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 84
Chapter 6 Contact AFM Mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 87
Figure 6.1a Photodetector Mirror Adjustments—Rear View . . . . . . . . . . . . 88
Figure 6.1b Laser Adjustment Knobs—Top View . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 89
Figure 6.2a Select Show All Items . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 91
Figure 6.2b Enable Parameters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 91
Figure 6.2c Scan Controls Panel Settings for Initial Setup (Contact Mode) 92
Figure 6.2d Interleave Controls Panel Settings for Initial Setup (Contact Mode)93
Figure 6.2e Channel 1 Panel for Initial Setup (Contact Mode). . . . . . . . . . . 93
Figure 6.2f Feedback Controls Panel Settings for Initial Setup (Contact Mode)94
Figure 6.2g Other Controls Panel Settings for Initial Setup (Contact Mode).94

List of Figures
Rev. B MultiMode SPM Instruction Manual 15
Chapter 7 TappingMode AFM. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .103
Figure 7.1a Tapping Cantilever in Free Air . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .104
Figure 7.1b Tapping cantilever on sample surface. Note deflection of cantilever and
return signal (exaggerated).. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .104
Figure 7.2a Select Show All Items . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .105
Figure 7.2b Enable Parameters. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .105
Figure 7.2c Photodetector adjustment knobs and SPM voltage meters. . . . 107
Figure 7.2d Voltage meters on the MultiMode base reveal a great deal about the
amplitude and alignment of the TappingMode laser signal on a
tuned tip operating at its resonant frequency. . . . . . . . .108
Figure 7.2e Cantilever Tune Panels . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .110
Figure 7.2f Sweep control panels for Graph Controls (left) and Main Controls
(right). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .111
Figure 7.3a Suggested Scan Controls Settings During TappingMode Setup113
Figure 7.3b Suggested Other Controls Settings During TappingMode Setup114
Figure 7.5a Cantilever Response Curve . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .115
Figure 7.5b Scope Trace with High Scan Rate. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .116
Figure 7.5c Scope trace with Correct Scan Rate . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .117
Figure 7.5d Suggested Range for Drive Frequency . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .117
Chapter 8 Fluid Operation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .121
Figure 8.2a Fluid Cells . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 124
Figure 8.2b Load Probe into Fluid Cell . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .127
Figure 8.2c Fill the Fluid Cell with Liquid . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .128
Figure 8.2d Stainless Steel Sample Puck with Teflon Cover . . . . . . . . . . . .130
Figure 8.2e Flush the Fluid Cell Before Installation to Reduce Bubble Formation
130
Figure 8.2f Imaging a Sample Covered by a Drop of Fluid. . . . . . . . . . . . . 131
Figure 8.3a A 100µm, Narrow-legged, Si3N4 Cantilever Fluid Tune Curve 135
Figure 8.6a Proteins will typically bind to negatively charged mica when the pH is
reduced below the protein’s isoelectric point, pI . . . . .142
Figure 8.6b TappingMode image of lysozyme in buffer solution using above
sample preparation (Scan size = 500nm).. . . . . . . . . . .144
Figure 8.7a Negatively charged DNA may be bound to negatively charged mica in
the presence of divalent counterions, such as Ni+2.. . .145
Chapter 9 Scanning Tunneling Microscopy (STM) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .147
Figure 9.1a STM Converter Head . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .149
Figure 9.2a Select Show All Items . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .152
Figure 9.2b Enable Parameters. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .152
Figure 9.5a Low-Current Converter components: MultiMode head and Picoamp
Boost Box.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .157
Figure 9.5b STM current and height images of HOPG surface.
Scan size = 6.0nm, Itun = 1.6pA, Vbias = 29mV.. . . . .161

List of Figures
16 MultiMode SPM Instruction Manual Rev. B
Figure 9.5c STM current image of layered crystal a-RuCl3.
Scan size = 4.48nm, Itun = 1.5pA, Vbias = 42mV. . . . 161
Figure 9.5d STM height image of alkanethiol layer on Au (111) substrate.
Scan size = 178.5nm, Itun = 2pA, Vbias = 1V. (Courtesy of Dr.
I. Tuzov, NCSU) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 162
Figure 9.5e Molecular-scale STM current image of alkanethiol
layer on Au (111) substrate. Scan size = 10.0nm, Itun = 13pA,
Vbias = 1V. (Courtesy of Dr. I. Tuzov, NCSU) . . . . . . 162
Chapter 10 Lateral Force Mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 167
Figure 10.2a Scan Angle Selection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 169
Figure 10.2b Example of Frictional Forces on Tip During Scan (Front View)170
Figure 10.2c Friction Data . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 171
Figure 10.2d TMR Data . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 172
Figure 10.2e Height Artifacts in LFM Data . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 173
Chapter 11 Force Imaging . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 175
Figure 11.1a Comparative Index of Pulling Forces . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 177
Figure 11.1b Pulling Forces Graph. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 178
Figure 11.2a Z-axis Voltage During Force Plot Scanning. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 178
Figure 11.2b Relationship of Z Scan Start and Scan Size. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 179
Figure 11.2c Tip-Sample Interaction During a Force Plot . . . . . . . . . . . . . 180
Figure 11.2d Anatomy of a Force Curve. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 181
Figure 11.3a Advanced Force Calibration Control Window (Contact Mode AFM)
183
Figure 11.3b Absolute and Relative Triggers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 188
Figure 11.4a Typical Force Calibration Curve . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 191
Figure 11.4b False Engagement (G Scanner) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 193
Figure 11.4c Set the Sensitivity Parameter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 194
Figure 11.4d Computing Contact Force . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 196
Figure 11.4e Force Curve Examples. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 198
Figure 11.5a Piezo Extension Versus RMS Amplitude and Deflection . . . 200
Figure 11.5b TappingMode Force Plot Parameter Settings (Force Calibrate)202
Figure 11.5c Amplitude Force Plot with High Contact Force. . . . . . . . . . . 203
Figure 11.6a Contrast Generated in Force Modulation Mode . . . . . . . . . . 204
Figure 11.6b MultiMode Force Modulation Tipholder. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 204
Figure 11.6c Auto Tune Controls Panel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 207
Figure 11.6d Typical Frequency Sweep Plot. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 208
Figure 11.6e Correctly Tuned Force Modulation Frequency . . . . . . . . . . . 209
Figure 11.6f Friction on Force Modulation Images . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 212
Chapter 12 Interleave Scanning and LiftMode. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 217
Figure 12.2a X-Y Scan Pattern . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 219
Figure 12.3a LiftMode Profiles. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 220

List of Figures
Rev. B MultiMode SPM Instruction Manual 17
Chapter 13 Magnetic Force (MFM) Imaging . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .225
Figure 13.1a MFM LiftMode principles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .226
Figure 13.1b Basic Extender for NanoScope III, IIIa and Quadrex Extender for
NanoScope IIIa Controllers (required for MFM phase detection
and frequency modulation) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .227
Figure 13.2a Cantilever Tune for phase detection and frequency modulation228
Figure 13.2b Shift in phase at fixed Drive frequency. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .229
Figure 13.2c Cantilever Tune for Amplitude Detection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .230
Figure 13.2d Shift in amplitude at fixed drive frequency. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .230
Figure 13.2e Topographic (left) and magnetic force gradient image (right) of metal
evaporated tape at 100nm Lift scan height . . . . . . . . . .231
Figure 13.4a Microscope Select Dialog Box . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .234
Figure 13.6a High-resolution magnetic force gradient image of metal evaporated
tape at 30nm Lift scan height . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .236
Figure 13.6b Tip heights and oscillation amplitudes in TappingMode and LiftMode
238
Chapter 14 Electric Force (EFM) Imaging . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .239
Figure 14.1a Extender Electronics Modules required for frequency phase detection
MFM and EFM . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .240
Figure 14.1b EFM LiftMode principles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .241
Figure 14.1c EFM probe tip holder, top and bottom view (left to right) . . .241
Figure 14.2a Comparison of attractive and repulsive forces to action of a taut
spring attached to the tip . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 242
Figure 14.2b Diagram of Extender Electronics Modules in phase and frequency
measurement mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 243
Figure 14.3a Diagram of MultiMode baseplate showing location and orientation of
jumpers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .245
Figure 14.3b Normal Jumper Configuration
(for systems without the Basic Extender Module).. . . .246
Figure 14.3c Jumper configuration for application of voltage to tip
(for systems without the Basic Extender Module).. . . .247
Figure 14.3d Jumper configuration for application of voltage to sample
(for systems without the Basic Extender Module).. . . .248
Figure 14.3e Jumper configuration for applying external voltage to tip
(for systems without the Basic Extender Module).. . . .249
Figure 14.3f Jumper configuration for applying external voltage to sample
(for systems without the Basic Extender Module).. . . .250
Figure 14.3g Normal Jumper Configuration
(for systems with Basic Extender Module installed). . .251
Figure 14.3h Jumper configuration for application of voltage to tip
(for systems with the Basic Extender Module). . . . . . .252
Figure 14.3i Jumper configuration for application of voltage to sample
(for systems with the Basic Extender Module). . . . . . .253
Figure 14.3j Jumper configuration for applying external voltage to tip
(for systems with the Basic Extender Module). . . . . . .254

List of Figures
18 MultiMode SPM Instruction Manual Rev. B
Figure 14.3k Jumper configuration for applying external voltage to sample
(for systems with the Basic Extender Module).. . . . . . 255
Figure 14.4a Toggle Switches on Back of Basic Extender Module . . . . . . 256
Figure 14.4b Phase detection Cantilever Tune
(for systems with the Basic Extender Module installed)257
Figure 14.4c Shift in Phase at Fixed Drive Frequency . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 258
Figure 14.4d Shift in amplitude at fixed Drive Frequency
(Basic Extender Module not installed). . . . . . . . . . . . . 259
Figure 14.4e Amplitude Detection Cantilever Tune
(Basic Extender Module not Installed).. . . . . . . . . . . . 260
Figure 14.5a Simplified Block Diagram of Basic Extender Module in Surface
Potential Mode. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 262
Figure 14.6a Normal jumper configuration as shipped from factory
(for systems with the Basic Extender Module). Sample is held
at ground. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 263
Figure 14.6b Applying Voltage to Sample Diagram . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 264
Figure 14.6c Jumper configuration for application of voltage to sample via sample
chuck.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 264
Figure 14.7a Toggle Switches on Back of Basic Extender Module . . . . . . 265
Chapter 15 Calibration, Maintenance, Troubleshooting and Warranty . . . . . 271
Figure 15.1a Scanner Crystal Voltage and Photodiode Voltage . . . . . . . . . 277
Figure 15.1b Effect of Nonlinearity and Hysteresis . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 278
Figure 15.1c Veeco Silicon Calibration Reference . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 280
Figure 15.3a Non-Orthogonal and Corrected, Orthogonal Image . . . . . . . 283
Figure 15.4a Fast Scan Linearization: Mag0 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 285
Figure 15.4b Fast Scan Linearization: Arg . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 286
Figure 15.4c Slow Scan Linearization: Arg . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 287
Figure 15.5a Capture Calibration Dialog Box . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 289
Figure 15.5b Capture Control Dialog Box . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 290
Figure 15.5c Calibration Images. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 291
Figure 15.7a Calibration Horizontal Reference . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 295
Figure 15.7b Scanner Calibration Dialog Box . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 296
Figure 15.8a Z Calibration Image. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 300
Figure 15.8b Draw a Stopband . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 301
Figure 15.8c Depth Analysis Screen. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 301
Figure 15.8d Draw a Cursor Box . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 302
Figure 15.8e Z Calibration Configure Dialog Box . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 302
Figure 15.8f Z Calibration Depth Dialog Box . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 303
Figure 15.8g Scope Trace screen will display a step when the tip encounters a pit in
the reference sample. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 305
Figure 15.9a Typical atomic scan of graphite. Note the highly regular lattice of the
atoms. The cursor line describes a distance of 6.66Å.. 307
Figure 15.10a Calibration Recommended Parameters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 312
Figure 15.12a Images With/Without Streaks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 320

List of Figures
Rev. B MultiMode SPM Instruction Manual 19/(20 Blank)
Figure 15.12b Rings During High Frequency Operation. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .321
Figure 15.12c Dull or Dirty Tip . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .322
Figure 15.12d Double or Multiple Tips . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .322
Figure 15.16a MultiMode Scanner. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .329
Figure 15.16b Stabilizing screw for securing the vertical scanner to the support
ring. MultiMode AFM screw (left), and screw for other SPMs
(right). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .330
Chapter 16 Index . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .335