Agar is well
known for its accessories for electron and light microscopy but perhaps is less
well known for providing excellent calibration materials for scanning probe
microscopy (SPM). As SPMs become more commonly used, the need for accessible
and traceable standards is of great importance.
Agar TGX ultra sharp silicon grating
Agar supplies a range of ultra sharp silicon gratings for calibration and distortion
checking of SPMs. The gratings, which have different profiles for different
measurements, are manufactured using microfabrication techniques.
Gratings are available in different sizes to match user applications, for example,
stepped gratings may be used for z axis calibration and non linearity measurement.
Different step heights are available including 20nm and 100nm which are NIST
traceable. Triangular gratings are used for lateral calibration, non linearity
detection, assessment of angular distortion and determination of the radius
of curvature of cantilever tips.
Chess pattern gratings with sharp undercut edges are very useful when studying
certain semiconductor structures. These test patterns may be used to look at
lateral calibration and non linearity, hysteresis and piezoceramic creep effects
of scanners.
Using standards in SPM is vital for users wishing to produce quantitative data
from their instruments. In the semiconductor world, atomic force microscopes
(AFMs) are accepted as standard metrology tools while in the life sciences,
AFM are being used to measure quantitative forces between molecules, cells and
surfaces.
For more details of these and other products, please contact Agar direct. Agar
supplies one of the broadest ranges of accessories and consumables for microscopy.
The complete range is available in either electronic or printed-catalogue form.
To receive your copy, please visit www.agarscientific.com
and register today.