Youarehere:ExperimentGuide>ImagingModes>ForceSpectroscopy>ContactModeForceCalibration

ContactModeForceCalibration
TominimizeorcalculatethecontactforcebetweenthetipandsampleduringContactAFM,youmustcalibratethecontact
forceusingtheprocedurebelow.ThisprocedureisalsoanecessaryprecursortoDetermineCantileverSpringConstantby
ThermalTune.
Beforeyoubegin,someimportantconsiderationsshouldbenoted:
Useanappropriatetip.FortheDimensionIconscanner,DNPAisrecommended.
Thesamplesurfacemustbehard,ensuringthatastheprobepushesagainstthesurfacethecantileverisdeflected
withoutanycorrespondingdeformationofthesurface.
Thesamplesurfacemustbecleancontaminationcanresultinforcedissipationinsteadofcantileverbending.
TheZscannermustbewellcalibrated.
TheDeflectionSensitivityallowsconversionfromtherawphotodiodesignal(involts)todeflectionofthecantilever(innm),
andisnormallysetfromtheRampContinuousmode.Thesensitivitymustbecalibratedbeforeaccuratedeflectiondata
canbeobtained.Sensitivityisequaltotheinverseoftheslopeoftheforcecurvewhilethecantileverisincontactwitha
hardsamplesurface.
Ifsensitivityiscalibratedonamaterialmuchstifferthanthecantilever,itmeasurestheinverseofthevalueoftheAFMs
opticalleversensitivityi.e.,howmanyvoltsofdeflectionsignalareproducedbyagivendeflectionofthecantilevertip.The
sensitivitywillchangefordifferentcantileverlengthsandstyles.Sensitivitywillalsochangewiththepositionofthelaseron
thecantileverandthequalityofthelaserbeamreflectionfromthecantilever.

Procedure
1.SetupyoursystemforContactModeimaging.
2.EnsuretheSUMsignalismaximized.

NOTE:Oncethesystemiscalibrated,doNOTtouchanylaserpositioncontrolsor
youwillinvalidatethecalibration.
3.Engageandbeginscanning.Thescansizeisnotimportantbeforeperformingany
forcecurvesthesystemautomaticallylocatestheprobetothecenterofthescan
area.
4.ClicktheRampiconintheWorkflowToolbartoentertheRampview.
5.IntheModesectionoftheParameterlist,set:
Triggermode:Relative
Trigthreshold:0.5V
6.IntheRampsectionoftheParameterlist,setRampsizeto300500nm.

7.Inthemainimagepanel,settheChannel1graphasfollows:
Datatype:DeflectionError
XDataType:Z
8.SettheChannel2graphasfollows:
Datatype:HeightSensor
XDataType:Z
9.Startramping.Youshouldseeplotsformsimilartotheonesbelow:

10.ClickontheChannel1graphanddragamarqueetozoominonthecontactregion.
11.Dragverticalcursorsfromtheplotedgetobracketthestraightestportionofthe
contactregionofthecurve.
12.Rightclickthegraphandselect:
ActiveCurve>1tousethetraceline(blue)
ActiveCurve>2tousetheretraceline(redrecommended)

13.ClicktheUpdateSensitivitybuttonintheatthetopofthemainwindow.Thiswill
opentheSetRealtimeChannelSensitivitieswindow:

ThemeasuredDeflectionErrorsensitivityisdisplayedatthetopofthisdialog.
EnablingthecheckboxesbelowsetsthegivenvariabletothemeasuredDeflection
Errorsensitivity.

TheDeflectionSensitivity&TMDeflectionErrorSens.boxmustbe
checkedforyoutouseNanoScope'sThermalTunefunctionality.
TheothercheckboxesarenotnormallynecessaryforContactMode
imaging.
14.ClickOKtoacceptthecomputedsensitivity.

ToconfirmtheDeflectionErrorsensitivitywasset,gotoCalibrate>DetectorintheNanoScopemenubar.Thisopensthe
DetectorCalibrationwindow:

Thissensitivity,giveninnanometers,willbeusedforthermaltune,whencollectingforcecurves,andotherrelevant
applications.

TheforcecurvesusedforthiscalibrationhavemadeuseoftheDeflectionErrorvsZplot,whichgivesagraphical
representationofthedeflectionerrorcomparedtotheZpiezoposition.MostuserswillbemoreinterestedintheDeflection
Errorasitcomparestotheseparationbetweentheprobetipandsamplesurface.Becausetheprobetipiscantilevered
somedistanceawayfromtheactualZpiezo,furtherinformationmustbeincludedtogetanaccurateindicatoroftipposition.
NanoScopecancalculatethisautomatically.

1.SelectExpandedMode.

2.Intheparameterslist,underChannel1,settheDisplayModetoDeflectionError
vsSeparation.
3.Beginramping.
4.TheDeflectionErrorvsSeparationplotwillbedisplayed:

RelatedTopics

www.bruker.com
www.brukerafmprobes.com
nanoscaleworld.brukeraxs.com/nanoscaleworld/

BrukerCorporation
112RobinHillRd.
SantaBarbara,CA93117

CustomerSupport:(800)8739750
Copyright2010,2011.AllRightsReserved.