AFM

Atomic Force Microscope

AFM is the method that analyzes the surface profile of the specimen.
It features the higher resolution than SEM has, and provides the information of the height direction in sub angstrom level.
The image obtained displays the coordinate system by X, Y, Z axis. Therefore, the system can measure desired distance and height, or provide the cross section profile and 3D image.
It is also suitable to measure the surface roughness.
Not only metal or LSI, but also the insulating material such as grass, ceramic and polymer molecule material can be analyzed with AFM.

Technology:
The probe scans the surface of the specimen, keeping the repulsive force between the specimen and the probe at a specific value. The system has various operation modes to analyze. When FQL analyze the specimen, we select “atmosphere tapping mode” which does not harm the surface of the specimen.

Equipment

Stage: D3000, Applicable to the large samples
Control station: NanoScope III a
(Digital Instruments)

PDF AFM (pdf: 65KB, A4 2 pages)

Example

Monoatomic step - Si(111) surface

Using the monatomic step (height: 1.31nm) of Si(111), AFM provides precise height- in nm order.

Top of Page

Metallic sputtered film

Surface image

Surface roughness

Measurements result of the sputtered film- company A.

Supplier A

Measurements result of the sputtered film- company B.

Supplier B

The images of the metallic sputtered films, after anneal process. The difference in the surface roughness of the two film suppliers is clearly shown.

3D image/ Profile of a plastic optical component

3D image

Measurements of the profile

Measurements

AFM can measure the cross section profile of the optical components (plastic, transparent), without destroying the specimen or conductive conditioning.