Nanosurf DriveAFM inverted optical microscope setup

Introducing the Nanosurf DriveAFM inverted optical microscope setup

CleanDrive: stability in air and liquid with photothermal excitation

Photothermal excitation of the cantilever provides unparalleled stability, a linear frequency response, and a high excitation bandwidth in air and liquid environments. These benefits allow measurements at multiple frequencies and highspeed applications and open new horizons for innovative new measurement modes (e.g. Cytomass Monitor).

These advantages are amplified in liquids since only the cantilever beam is excited and the liquid environment remains largely unperturbed. This results in clean resonance peaks and not the “forest of peaks” commonly seen with the piezo acoustic excitation of cantilevers. Furthermore, this method of exciting the cantilever is insensitive to changes in the environment and distance to the sample, making the whole measurement system much more stable.

The DriveAFM, with its small light spots, is compatible with the use of small cantilevers, which have several advantages that make them superior in performance. While they have the same spring constant as a conventional cantilever, small cantilevers show a significantly higher resonance frequency and operational bandwidth. Also, the noise performance is better. Due to the small dimensions, the sensitivity is increased, and hydrodynamic drag is decreased. All of this results in better imaging performance.

Key Features

Performance without compromise

Key Benefits

The DriveAFM combines performance and a wide range of applications important for material science research. Its unique direct drive tip scanner technology paired with CleanDrive are key for fast and stable operation in air and liquid. The tip scanner design makes the performance of the DriveAFM independent of the mass of the sample under investigation also allowing measurement on heavy samples. The full motorization not only simplifies working with the system but also facilitates automated measurements addressing different areas of a sample.

Specifications

The DriveAFM is a completely new high-end atomic force microscopy system. Its Nanosurf-typical ingenious design and the CX Controller, developed especially to maximise the potential of this scan head, yield the following specifications.

DriveAFM scan head specifications

System functionality