LiteScope™

Atomic Force Microscope designed for easy integration into the Scanning Electron Microscopes. The combination of complementary AFM and SEM techniques enables you to use the advantages of both commonly used microscopy techniques.

AFM in SEM LiteScope

LiteScope™: Measuring modes

LiteScope extends the capabilities of SEM by measuring a sub-nanometer topography together with mechanical, electrical, and magnetical properties of the sample.

Material mechanical properties

Material mechanical properties
Technique	Application
Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM)	topography
Energy dissipation	local elastic properties (tapping mode)
Force Modulation Microscopy (FMM)	local elastic properties (contact mode)
Force-distance curves	local elastic properties (non-topographic)
Nanoindentation	depth-dependent material characterization
Nanomanipulation	various in-situ operations

Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM)

AFM allows high-resolution measurements of a wide range of samples. Different types of self-sensing cantilevers can be used. Measurements can be made in contact or tapping mode.

Energy Dissipation

Energy dissipation provides imaging of the local elastic properties of the material. Thanks to the utilization of the tapping mode AFM, the sample damage risk is minimized compared to FMM. Energy dissipation information is read from the drive signal amplitude.

Force Modulation Microscopy (FMM)

FMM allows imaging of the local elastic properties of the sample. This method simultaneously measures topography and mechanical response of the material to the mechanically excited cantilever’s oscillations. The amplitude and phase of the demodulated signal contain information about local elasticity.

Nanoindentation

Widely used method for material hardness characterization. The sample hardness is determined from the indentation profile depth and the used force.

Force-distance curves

F/z spectroscopy is a useful tool for precise local sample characterization. Spectroscopy is used for many purposes like a sample stiffness analysis, detailed surface-tip force progress, or local elasticity/plasticity determination.

Nanomanipulation

Mechanical and electrostatic manipulation allows the in-situ movement of the particles with nanometer precision. It can be used instead of or with SEM nano manipulators for complex in-situ operation.

Material electrical properties

Material electrical properties
Technique	Application
Conductive AFM (C-AFM)	conductivity map
Conductive CPEM (C-CPEM)	conductivity map including insulated areas
Force Modulation Microscopy (FMM)	local elastic properties (contact mode)
Kelvin Probe Force Microscopy (KPFM)	local surface potential
Electrical spectroscopy	local electrical properties (non-topographic)
Scanning Tunneling Microscopy (STM)	sub-nanometer topography

Conductive AFM (C-AFM)

Conductive AFM provides a high-resolution local conductivity map of the sample. The voltage bias is applied between the tip and the sample and the tip-sample current flow is measured during contact AFM topography measurement.

Conductive CPEM (C-CPEM)

Unique conductive CPEM allows conductivity measurements even in insulated areas of the sample. The electron beam at the constant distance from the tip replaces the need for an applied bias in the measured area, but the tip-sample bias can still be simultaneously applied. During scanning, the tip-sample current flow is measured in contact AFM mode.

Kelvin Probe Force Microscopy (KPFM)

KPFM estimates the local distribution of surface potentials. First, the topography in tapping AFM mode is measured. Second, the probe is lifted and the probe oscillation (AM-KPFM) or resonant frequency change (FM-KPFM) is minimized by applied DC voltage in a feedback loop.

Spectroscopy modes

LiteScope™ provides a wide range of complex spectroscopic techniques. Spectroscopy modes enable to measure the dependence of selected quantity on time, voltage bias, tip-sample distance, electron beam current, etc. The whole process can be monitored by SEM for the exact tip location on the sample.

Scanning Tunneling Microscopy (STM)

STM allows the measurement of conductive or semi-conductive samples with sub-nanometer resolution. The voltage bias is applied and tip-sample tunneling current is measured. STM provides topographic information about the sample. Measurements are performed in constant current or constant height mode.

Material electro-mechanical properties

Material electro-mechanical properties
Technique	Application
Piezoresponse Force Microscopy (PFM)	piezoelectric domain imaging

Piezoresponse Force Microscopy (PFM)

PFM allows imaging and manipulation of piezoelectric material domains. This method measures simultaneously topography and mechanical response of the material to the applied alternating voltage. The amplitude and phase of the demodulated signal contain information about the local piezoresponse.

Material magnetic properties

Material magnetic properties
Technique	Application
Magnetic Force Microscopy (MFM)	magnetic domain imaging

Magnetic Force Microscopy (MFM)

Magnetic Force Microscopy (MFM) is a secondary imaging mode that maps the magnetic force gradient above the sample surface while simultaneously obtaining topographical data.

Potential application: magneto-optic recording, magnetic logic, and data storage systems.