Instruction manual

Calibration, Maintenance, Troubleshooting and Warranty
TappingMode AFM Troubleshooting
322 MultiMode SPM Instruction Manual Rev. B
15.12.4 Multiple or repeating patterns
The tip is probably chipped (see Figure 15.12c and Figure 15.12d). This is usually caused by using
too much tapping force on the surface, or because the tip encountered a feature too high to
successfully traverse. If this occurs, change the tip.
Note: Operating with a smaller difference between the RMS voltage and the Setpoint
voltage means that less tapping force is being used. This may damage the tip
because the tip may not be following the surface, allowing it to crash into
vertical features.
Figure 15.12c Dull or Dirty Tip
Figure 15.12d Double or Multiple Tips
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