Bruker
Nano today announced that its N8 TITANOS™ large-sample inspection
AFM has been further improved to provide highest spatial resolving power. Due
to its unique AFM technology and outstanding mechanical stability, the TITANOS
has now been demonstrated with atomic-scale resolution on HOPG (highly oriented
pyrolythic graphite) on a production instrument in standard configuration.
The N8 TITANOS has proven itself once again as the most precise and stable
AFM platform for large samples up to 300 mm diameter.
The N8 TITANOS has been developed for the inspection of 300 mm wafers, and
it is also in use for metrology on solar panels, photolithography masks, flat
panel displays, etc. The TITANOS’ ultra-precise xy-positioning stage employs
contact-less linear motors, high-resolution glass encoders and an air bearing
for fast, reproducible sample movement.
The TITANOS AFM is mounted on a solid granite bridge above the platform.
All AFM systems offered by Bruker Nano employ Fiber Optic Interferometry (FOI)
detection as a unique feature to achieve outstanding resolution even on large
samples. “FOI provides superior sensitivity as well as a calibrated deflection,”
explains Dr. Hans Achim Fuss, Bruker Nano’s AFM Chief Technology Officer.
“The results obtained with our AFMs are highly reproducible due to the
exact knowledge of all crucial parameters.”
Dr. Frank Saurenbach, Vice President for AFM at Bruker Nano commented further:
“It is incredible to see the TITANOS’ stage move hundreds of millimetres
in seconds, and then operate with such stability and record resolution at each
new measuring position. We are excited to supply the large sample AFM tool with
the highest resolving power available on the market”.
The N8 TITANOS can be used as a stand-alone, automated system or combined
with a high-performance optical microscope. It comes as a fully accessible R&D
tool, or can be upgraded to an at-line production inspection system.