Agar Scientific has announced the availability of the Superflat AFM from Kleindiek, which combines the imaging power of SEM and AFM.
Information on lateral dimensions and material from in-situ inspection can be complemented by precise AFM topographical and frictional information.
The Superflat AFM is flat and compact enough to fit through the majority of SEM load-locks, allowing ease-of-use and increasing throughput.
In addition, its size is said to offer stability and vibration-dampening advantages, which are particularly attractive when using the tool ex situ.
A sample or tip exchange takes a minute and a laser adjustment process is not required, according to Agar Scientific.
By dispensing with complicated optical force read-out, the system's size could be reduced to a height of 10mm.
The small dimensions allow for load lockability and therefore sample throughput is high.
The SF-AFM consists of a micromanipulator and a super-flat piezo scanner mounted to a load-lockable platform.
The AFM cantilever is mounted to the micromanipulator, which has a resolution of 0.25nm in X and Y directions and 3nm in Z direction.
Once the cantilever has been positioned over the area of interest, the piezo scanner is used during the AFM measurement.
The three-axis piezo scanner has a scan range of 15um, 15um, 3um and a resolution of 0.25nm.
It can be used for AFM imaging as well as for recording force versus distance curves.
