SIMPLE RETROFITTABLE LONG-RANGE X-Y TRANSLATION SYSTEM FOR SCANNED PROBE MICROSCOPES

A simple, reliable system for long-range translation of scanned probe microscopy (SPM) samples is described. This system could easily be ret rofitted to many existing SPMs. The sample is held magnetically onto t he scan piezo tube, and is translated by stick-slip motion. The system is very reliable, and provides controllable step size ranging from 20 nm to 1 mu m. Three stick-slip drive wave forms are described and tes ted: sawtooth, cycloid, and an ''improved'' cycloid based on the reson ance curve of a harmonic oscillator. Computer simulations of the stick -slip process are presented, and are in good agreement with experiment . Together, the experiments and simulations demonstrate that it is ess ential to consider the resonant response of the piezo when evaluating drive wave forms. (C) 1996 American Institute of Physics.