The Atomic Force Microscopy Facility is a core facility providing access to advanced scanning probe microscopy techniques for nanoscale surface and functional characterization of materials.
The facility integrates instrumentation located at the Department of Physics and the Department of Materials and Ceramic Engineering, supporting research activities through advanced imaging, surface analysis and nanoscale characterization techniques.
Available instrumentation
- Solver Next AFM, NT-MDT (Department of Physics)
- AFM Bruker / Veeco, Model Nanoscope IIIA Multimode (Department of Materials and Ceramic Engineering)
- 3D Optical Profilometer, Sensofar, Model S Neox (Department of Materials and Ceramic Engineering)
About Atomic Force Microscopy Facility @ Physics Department
The facility offers topographic imaging modes as well as surface potential imaging modes under ambient conditions. The main microscope is an automated AFM for samples up to 20 mm in diameter and up to 10 mm in height.
Supported imaging modes
- Contact AFM
- Semi-contact / Intermittent contact AFM (tapping / AM-AFM)
- Lateral Force Microscopy (LFM)
- Electrostatic Force Microscopy (EFM)
- Kelvin Probe Force Microscopy (KPFM)
Internal users from CICECO and the University of Aveiro can access the facility through the scientific collaboration framework.
Facility staff contribute scientifically, including experimental design and planning, sample preparation, measurements, data analysis and interpretation. Co-authorship is expected when contributions meet academic authorship criteria.
Routine tasks, such as topography imaging in contact or non-contact regimes, can be carried out by users after appropriate training.
External users outside the University of Aveiro are welcome to access the facility through a service model, where measurements and analyses are performed for a fee.
This model does not involve scientific collaboration or authorship. However, for industrial and academic users, access can also be provided through the scientific collaboration framework upon mutual agreement.
Alexander Tselev
Scientific Coordinator
Principal Researcher at CICECO and Department of Physics. His main scientific interests include the application and development of scanning probe microscopy imaging modalities for nanoscale functional characterization of materials.
Instruments
The microscope is an automated AFM for samples up to 20 mm in diameter and up to 10 mm in height. It offers topographic imaging modes as well as surface potential imaging modes under ambient conditions.
The X, Y and Z scanners are equipped with feedback position sensors to ensure low non-linearity in sample and probe positioning. The XY scan area is 100 x 100 µm2. The measurable height (Z) range is 10 µm, with a noise level below 0.1 nm RMS in the 10–1000 Hz band. The lateral spatial resolution is determined by the scanning probe radius.
Automation features
- Cantilever recognition and automatic laser alignment
- Autofocus
- Panoramic optical field of view up to 5 x 5 mm2
- Point-and-click motorized precise sample positioning
- Gentle probe engagement procedure and automatic feedback loop adjustment
Technical data
- Sample size: up to 20 mm in diameter and up to 10 mm in height
- Sample weight: up to 40 g
- Type of scanning: by sample
- Scanning area: 100 x 100 x 10 µm, with feedback sensors
- Nonlinearity, XY: 0.1%, with feedback sensors
- Noise XY: less than 0.3 nm, with feedback sensors
- Noise level Z: typically 0.03 nm RMS in the 10–1000 Hz band, with feedback sensors
- Sample positioning system
The manufacturer’s presentation of the microscope can be found at: https://youtu.be/6rzDZ_JzV-c
About Atomic Force Microscopy Facility @ Materials and Ceramic Engineering Department
There are no human resources allocated to the equipment. All work should be under a self-use regime, after initial training with an established user.
There are no consumables allocated to the equipment. AFM tips and tip holders must be acquired by each user.
Contact the scientific coordinator or one of the “staff” members. Analysis will be done case by case.
Calendar
Contact the scientific coordinator or one of the “staff” members.
Instruments
This Bruker Multimode AFM, formerly Veeco / Digital Instruments, works with a Nanoscope IIIA controller, Nanoscope version 5.2 software and a J scanner with a scan range of 125 µm x 125 µm x 5.0 µm.
Samples up to 5 mm thick are mounted onto a 15 mm diameter disc, with access to an area of around 2–3 mm at the centre of the sample.
The microscope is located on a vibration isolation platform and inside a metallic casing to minimize possible interferences during measurement.
This AFM microscope is compatible with most standard and advanced scan modes, including Contact and Tapping modes, mapping tapping mode / phase imaging, Magnetic Force Microscopy, force-curve measurement, Lateral Force Microscopy and Electrostatic Force Microscopy.
3D Optical Profilometer, Sensofar, Model S Neox
Brand: Sensofar
Model: S neox
Room: 3.4.22
Acquisition year: 2014
Measurement techniques: Dark and light field microscopy, Focus variation (FV), Confocal (Co), PSI (phase shifting interferometry), VSI (vertical scanning interferometry)
Optical Objectives: Confocal, FV, Optical Microscopy: 10x, 20x, 50x, 100x; VSI, PSI: 10x, 50x
Confocal mode vertical resolution: 25 nm (10x), 3 nm (50x), (< 1nm, with piezo stage)
VSI vertical resolution: 1 nm; PSI vertical resolution: 0.01 nm
Lateral resolution: 0.15 µm (100x) and 0.25 µm (x50) for interferometry
Maximum sample dimensions: 40 mm height x150mmx150mm
Data analysis: SensoMap software