© ICSPI Corp. 2007-2021
nGauge AFM User Manual 2.0
32
The following diagrams illustrate the difference between leveling settings:
Leveling set to 0. The tip loses contact with
the sample as the scan proceeds.
Leveling set to 5 (Forward). The tip follows
sample topography.
The scans in nGauge software are lightly processed, which removes the tilt in the Y direction.
Open the scan using Gwyddion to verify that the Leveling setting is set correctly. These scans
show the difference in the tilt when the leveling direction and leveling magnitude are changed.
Each scan is opened in Gwyddion and a line profile is taken along the Y-axis of the raw data. An
idealized line profile is shown below each scan. The resulting line profile shows the slope of the
scan. The goal is to have the slope as flat as possible.
Leveling
Direction
Reverse
N/A
Forward
Forward
Leveling
5
0
5
10
Scan
Line
Profile
The optimal setting of these four scans is
Forward
and
5
: these settings produce the scan with
the least tilt in the Y direction.
