Digital Instruments NanoScope IIIa-Phase Atomic Force Microscope
Location: 426 Space Research Building
Contact: John Mansfield, Kai Sun, or Haiping Sun
Instructions: Digital Instruments SPM PDF Handbook
Acknowledgments: The initial funding for the EMAL AFMs came from grants to Kim Ford Hayes of Civil and Environmental Engineering ( Presidential Young Investigators Award #BES-8958407) and David Martin of Materials Science & Engineering. Upgrades were made possible by funds procured by Ron Gibala and David Martin of Materials Science & Engineering.
Atomic Force/Scanning Probe Microscopy: This instrument is essentially an extremely high resolution profilometer. A silicon nitride or silicon tip is scanned across the surface of a sample at a constant force, the position of the tip on the sample surface is controlled by three piezoelectric ceramics. These piezoelectrics are controlled by a microcomputer which monitors the position of the tip via the signal form a photodiode which receives reflected laser light from the top of the tip support. Two dimensional scans allow the construction of images of the sample surface, rather than just line profiles. The instrument is capable of imaging areas as large as 125 µm^2 and as small as a few tens of nanometers square. The maximum spatial resolution is such that the atomic surface of the structure may be revealed.
Applications
- Contact AFM
- Tapping AFM
- Lateral Force AFM
- STM
- Magnetic Force Microscopy
Scanners
- AFMA: ~1µm x 1 µm
- AFMD: ~12 µm x 12 µm
- AFMJ: ~125µm x 125 µm
- AFM EV ~12µm x 12µm vertical engage scanner
Resolution
- ~0.3 nm (A or EV scanner, AFM Mode)
Accessories
- Fluid Cell for imaging in liquids.
- Anti-vibration suspension mount for atomic resolution imaging
- Frame grabber for acquisition of optical microscope images
Sample Requirements
- The sample must fit within a 15mm disc and be no thicker than 5mm. You can access an area of ~ 2-3mm at the center of the sample mount disc. Sample roughness, peak to valley, should not be more than 5µm for the largest scanner (J). The maximum area for a single image depends on the scanner - see ranges given above.
Additional Resources
Christopher Smith, a graduate student in Professor Roy Clarke's group in Applied Physics, examining laser-ablated colbalt nanoparticles with the Digital Instruments Nanoscope IIIA-Phase AFM.