Operating instructions

INSTALLING THE SAMPLE
33
Calibration Sample Kit
The samples supplied in the optional Calibration Sample kit are meant as
test samples that can also be used to check the correctness of the instru-
ment’s calibration. Certified Calibration grids are available as an option.
The Calibration grid: 10 µm/100 nm can be used for testing the xy-calibra-
tion of the 70µm and 100µm scanners and for testing z-calibration. It is
manufactured using a standard silicon process that produces silicon oxide
squares on a silicon substrate. It has a period of 10 µm and a square height
of approximately 100 nm.
The Calibration grid: 660 nm can be used for testing the xy-calibration of
the 10µm scanner. It consists of holes in a silicon oxide layer with a period
of 660 nm and an unspecified depth. At the time of writing, the approxi-
mated depth is 149 nm.
The exact period and height of the Calibration grid structure (with 3%
accuracy) are given on the box in which they are stored.
The Flatness sample is a polished silicon sample. It can be used for testing
the Flatness of the scanned plane.
The calibration samples should be kept in their box. Then it should be
unnecessary to clean them. Cleaning is not advisable, because the samples
are rather delicate.
Stand-alone measurements
You can either use the instrument with the sample stage, or as a stand-alone
instrument. The sample stage offers vibration isolation, and a stable scan
head mount. Therefore, operate the instrument as a stand-alone only when
the sample is too large for the sample stage. For stand-alone measurements,
put the Scan head directly on top of the sample. Protection feet for under
the three alignment screws are provided to protect delicate samples from
being scratched (figure Contents of the AFM Tool set (p.14), 2).
The sample stage
The sample stage (figure Components (p.13), 13) offers vibration isolation
and stable positioning and can be used to comfortably position the sample.
An optional micrometre translation stage for X-Y positioning can be