OXFORD INSTRUMENTS INTRODUCES GETSTARTED FEATURE

摘要

Researchers sometimes struggle to obtain good images using atomic force microscopy (AFM) because of the complexity of optimizing imaging parameters. The new GetStarted feature on Oxford Instruments' Asylum Research AFMs eliminates this challenge, making AFM operation much simpler and more productive. GetStarted guides users through initial setup and then automatically calculates optimal imaging parameters before the AFM even starts scanning. This ensures that high-quality data are obtained from the first scan line, and it avoids the likelihood of tip and sample damage that can occur while optimizing parameters, whether manually or using one of the several auto-optimization features released in recent years. Notably, while some AFM companies have abandoned tapping mode in pursuit of ease of use, GetStarted uses conventional tapping mode and does not require special probes. Tapping mode is by far the most widely used AFM imaging mode. It remains the gold standard because it is extremely gentle, enables high-speed imaging when combined with small cantilevers, and isthe basis of many other modes that go beyond topography to measure nanoelectrical and nanomechanical properties of the sample.