The present invention relates to a device for operating at least one bending beam in at least one closed control loop, wherein the device has: (a) at least one first interface designed to receive at least one controlled variable of the at least one control loop; (b) at least one programmable logic circuit designed to process a control error of the at least one control loop using a bit depth greater than the bit depth of the controlled variable; and (c) at least one second interface designed to provide a manipulated variable of the at least one control loop.

An atomic force microscope is provided having a controller configured to store one or more positional parameters output by a sensor assembly when a light spot is located at a first preset position on the surface of the cantilever. The controller is further configured to operate an actuator assembly so as to induce movement of the spot away from the first preset position, to detect said movement of the first spot based on a change in the one or more positional parameters output by the sensor assembly, and to operate an optical assembly in response to the detected movement of the first spot to return the first spot to the first preset position.

An apparatus and method of operating an atomic force profiler (AFP), such as an AFM, using a feedforward control signal in subsequent scan lines of a large area sample to achieve large throughput advantages in, for example, automated applications.

The invention relates to a measuring device for a scanning probe microscope that includes a sample receptacle which is configured to receive a measurement sample to be examined, a measuring probe which is arranged on a probe holder and has a probe tip with which the measurement sample can be measured. A displacement device is configured to move the measuring probe and the sample receptacle relative to each other, in order to measure the measurement sample, such that the measuring probe, in order to measure the measurement sample, executes a raster movement relative to said measurement sample in at least one spatial direction. Movement measurement signals indicating a first movement component in a first spatial direction that disrupts the raster movement and a second movement component in a second spatial direction that disrupts the raster movement, which second spatial direction extends transversely to the first spatial direction. Compensating control signal components cause a first countermovement which substantially compensates for the first disruptive movement component in the first spatial direction, and/or cause a second countermovement which substantially compensates for the second disruptive movement component in the second spatial direction.

An atomic force microscope includes a cantilever operating in amplitude modulation mode. A controller determines the amplitude of the cantilever oscillation by processing a signal representative of the cantilever motion by square-rooting a signal having a value substantially equal to a sum of a square of the received signal and a squared and phase-shifted version of the received signal. The aforementioned processing, in some implementations is implemented using analog circuit components.

The present application relates to an apparatus for a scanning probe microscope, said apparatus having: (a) at least one first measuring probe having at least one first cantilever, the free end of which has a first measuring tip; (b) at least one first reflective area arranged in the region of the free end of the at least one first cantilever and embodied to reflect at least two light beams in different directions; and (c) at least two first interferometers embodied to use the at least two light beams reflected by the at least one first reflective area to determine the position of the first measuring tip.

An atomic force microscope includes a cantilever operating in amplitude modulation mode. A controller determines the amplitude of the cantilever oscillation by processing a signal representative of the cantilever motion by square-rooting a signal having a value substantially equal to a sum of a square of the received signal and a squared and phase-shifted version of the received signal. The aforementioned processing, in some implementations is implemented using analog circuit components.

A method of operating a scanning probe microscope, wherein a control loop is provided which is configured for controlling one or more feedback parameters of the scanning probe microscope. One or more system identification measurements are performed during operation of the control loop, wherein during the one or more system identification measurements an excitation signal with a plurality of frequency components is introduced in the control loop and a resulting response signal indicative of a cantilever displacement or a stage-sample distance between a sensor device and a sample is measured. A model response function is identified using said excitation signal and said resulting response signal, wherein one or more settings and/or input signals are adapted in the control loop based on the identified model response function. The scanning probe microscope is used for characterization of the sample using the adapted one or more settings and/or input signals.

An atomic force microscope is provided having a controller configured to store one or more positional parameters output by a sensor assembly when a light spot is located at a first preset position on the surface of the cantilever. The controller is further configured to operate an actuator assembly so as to induce movement of the spot away from the first preset position, to detect said movement of the first spot based on a change in the one or more positional parameters output by the sensor assembly, and to operate an optical assembly in response to the detected movement of the first spot to return the first spot to the first preset position.

Provided are a scanning probe microscope and a setting method thereof that contribute to a reduction in the time taken for measuring. The scanning probe microscope includes: a movement driving unit capable of moving a cantilever and a sample relatively in at least a z direction; and a control device operating an approach operation of making the cantilever and the sample approach to each other at a predetermined speed by controlling the movement driving unit, and stopping the approach operation when it is determined that the probe and the sample are in contact with each other, wherein the predetermined speed is set such that when the control for stopping the approach operation is performed, force applied to the sample due to contact between the probe and the sample does not exceed a preset first force.