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lateral signal drift

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dave11420 posted on Mon, Aug 8 2011 7:41 AM

When using the afm (multi mode) in lateral force mode, I've noticed that after turning it on the TMR values are in the mV range after scanning for more than 2 hrs, it begins to drift and eventually reaches the voltage range (2-3V). Could this be due to the age of the afm? I believe that it is about 10 yrs old, and might need servicing.

How reliable is an afm that is as old as this, and how often should an afm be serviced?

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Answered (Verified) Verified Answer

Answered (Verified) replied on Mon, Aug 8 2011 3:19 PM
Verified by dave11420

Hi Dave,

If you just turned the system on your drift could be simply the electronics warming up. Once the signal is at 2V does it stay there? One other possibility is the cantilever warming up and bending slightly. Again, if you correct the signal after the initial shift does it stay constant after that?

What kind of tip did you use for your experiments?

Stefan

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Top 150 Contributor
7 Posts
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Verified by dave11420

Hi Stefan,

I usually let it warm up for 1hr then start using it. I usually have TMR values around 300mv, eventually iy gets up to the 2V, stays there for abt 2-3mins and drifts back down again. I'm attaching a 50micron borosilicate ball to a 3N/m stifness cantilever.
The shift goes up, then comes back down and repeats.
Regards,
Dave

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Answered (Verified) replied on Tue, Aug 9 2011 11:50 AM
Verified by dave11420

Hi Dave,

Have you tried aligning a regular silicon, uncoated cantilever like a TESP and observed if the signal drift is still there?

Stefan

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