Vista 200 for Nano-Chemical Analysis with Sub-5 nm Resolution

The Vista 200 provides precise nano-chemical analysis with sub-5 nm resolution and exceptional stability.

Vista 200: Power Meets Precision

Controlled Environment

A metal enclosure lined with Mylar-wrapped insulating foam ensures acoustic isolation and maintains temperature stability within 0.1 °C, while also being compatible with cleanroom environments.

Clear Signal

The fully enclosed light path enhances infrared transmission by eliminating atmospheric interference from water vapor, significantly boosting the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR).

Exceptional AFM Performance

Equipped with a 120 µm XY scanner, a 12 µm sample Z scanner, and integrated vibration isolation, the AFM delivers exceptional performance. The high-bandwidth dual-Z feedback system enables true non-contact AFM for IR PiFM.

Ultimate Spectro-Nanoscopy

Photo-induced force microscopy (PiFM) and photo-induced force infrared (PiF-IR) spectroscopy represent the forefront of nano-IR techniques. Non-destructive, non-contact, and capable of monolayer sensitivity, this instrument sets the standard in its class.

Reliable Spectra

Active beam steering ensures spectral consistency across the entire sample, while the non-contact AFM design prevents cross-contamination.

Dynamic Laser Control

An integrated optical multiplexer automates polarization and normalization, providing seamless laser control and enabling effortless light source selection with perfect beam co-alignment.

Image Credit: Molecular Vista

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Semiconductor-Specific

Streamlined Processes

The included data analysis software enables the team to quickly transform measurements into presentation-ready results. Seamless integration with the data acquisition platform delivers real-time insights when users need them most.

A flexible scripting API supports custom workflows, and the open file formats ensure easy compatibility with third-party software.

Made for the Samples

Customize the setup with a choice of a vacuum chuck featuring magnetic mounts or an EUV mask holder—ideal for 4-, 6-, or 8-inch wafers.

Powerful Yet Non Destructive

PiFM operates in true non-contact mode, preserving the integrity of the pristine samples and keeping the AFM tip clean.

Image Credit: Molecular Vista

Built for Industry

Maximize Efficiency Minimize Disruption

The 300 mm-wide sample access door minimizes thermal disturbances that can lead to drift while enabling maximum throughput. Thanks to the forward-moving stage and user-friendly head mount, both the tip and sample can be quickly swapped without opening the full enclosure.

Image Credit: Molecular Vista

Scientific Principles PiFM and PiF-IR

Figure 1. A pulsed and tunable IR laser is focused onto the apex of a metal coated AFM tip. The laser is modulated at a frequency carefully calculated based on the resonance frequencies of the cantilever. Image Credit: Molecular Vista

Figure 2. The metal-coated AFM tip acts as an antenna and creates a highly local enhanced field (yellow). This field locally polarizes the sample, resulting in an attractive force whose magnitude depends on the absorption strength of the sample. Image Credit: Molecular Vista

Figure 3. One resonance of the cantilever is used to detect the PiFM signal. Simultaneously, another resonance is used to collect the standard AFM topography and phase in a non-con tact manner (no tip/sample contamination). Image Credit: Molecular Vista

Figure 4. The depth of the tip-enhanced illumination depends heavily on the spacing between the tip and the sample. By detecting the attractive forces in non-contact mode, the measurement is made extremely sensitive – capable of detecting monolayers of material. Image Credit: Molecular Vista

The Result

Figure 5. PiF-IR nanoscale spectra are made by measuring the strength of the attractive photo-induced forces as a function of wavenumber. PiFM chemical maps are created by scanning the surface with a fixed-wavenumber to measure absorption strength as a function of position. The color layer over the AFM topography is three fixed-wavenumber PiFM images combined. Image Credit: Molecular Vista

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PiFM Chemical Mapping

Reveal Hidden Structure in Color

Figure 6. 3D visualization of the AFM topography of a cell wall from an ultra-thin cross section of spruce wood. An overlay of two PiFM images shows the chemical composition of the surface where lignin and cellulose mix. This PiFM overlay reveals how the materials are distributed, and it shows how some of the topographic features are related to the local chemistry. Scan dimensions: 1 µm × 1 µm × 0.034 µm. Image Credit: Molecular Vista

Sub-5 nm Spatial Resolution

Figure 7. A zoomed-in region of the spruce wood cell wall. At only 150 nm square, this scan area is over 50 times smaller than in figure 6! PiFM images show the chemical distribution of lignin and cellulose on the surface. A line trace plotting the intensity of the data in the green image shows an IR spatial resolution of less than 5 nm. Notice how the PiFM images bring the topography alive with precise chemical detail while the topography itself is unremarkable. Scan dimensions: 150 nm × 150 nm × 10.5 nm. Image Credit: Molecular Vista

PiF-IR Nano-Spectroscopy

Single-Molecule-Level Sensitivity

Figure 8. This sample was intended to be a uniform monolayer of peptoid molecules; however, initial PiF-IR analysis indicated that actual peptoid coverage was very sparse. Therefore, a PiFM image was taken at 1633 cm⁻¹ which should highlight any peptoid molecules present. This image reveals tiny peptoid fragments on the surface. A PiF-IR spectrum taken on one of those points shows the characteristic peak at 1633cm⁻¹ despite the peptoid fragment being only 1.7 nm tall! The black spot in the green PiFM image shows that the fragment is sitting on top of the substrate material. Scan dimensions: 500 nm × 500 nm × 1.7 nm. Image Credit: Molecular Vista

Excellent Agreement With FTIR

Figure 9. On homogeneous samples, PiF-IR spectra agree with FTIR extremely well. Image Credit: Molecular Vista

Analyze Organic and Inorganic Materials

Figure 10. Both organic and inorganic samples can be analyzed equally well using PiFM and PiF-IR. Here, a PS-b-PMMA block copolymer has undergone sequential infiltration synthesis to produce aluminum oxides in the PMMA block. The sample was exposed to a vapor of trimethyl aluminum, which should only react with carbonyl groups in the PMMA. Subsequent exposure to water vapor converts the trimethyl aluminum into aluminum oxide. PiFM analysis after this process confirms the block-selective infiltration by the presence of a new broad peak from 800 to 1100 cm⁻¹ (not shown). A PiFM image taken at 900 cm⁻¹ (yellow image) highlights the infiltrating alumina in the PMMA blocks, demonstrating the exceptional resolution of PiFM chemical mapping even on inorganic samples. Scan dimensions: 500 nm × 500 nm × 5.5 nm. Image Credit: Molecular Vista

Orientation Discrimination

Figure 11. Similar to polarized FTIR, PiF-IR spectra are orientation sensitive due to the tip-enhanced field. The PiF-IR spectra above were acquired at different crystal faces on a vitamin C sample. They exhibit the local IR bands associated with the specific crystal faces. The average of these three distinct local PiF-IR spectra compare nicely with the bulk FTIR spectrum, which is the equivalent of an ensemble average of billions of PiF-IR spectra. Scan dimensions: 640 nm × 640 nm × 1025 nm. Image Credit: Molecular Vista

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Comparisons

Comparing Surface Analytical Techniques

Table 1. PiFM & PiF-IR bring molecular analysis to the realm of true nanoscale resolution, providing both IR absorption spectra and chemical mapping with sub-5 nm spatial resolution and monolayer sensitivity, complementing XPS or ToF-SIMS in any high-end lab. *For SEM and TEM, EDS measurements are not as high resolution as is possible for imaging. Source: Molecular Vista

Vista 200 Specifications

Source: Molecular Vista