Cypher SPM
User Guide
The benefits of such a direct drive mechanism are similar to those of magnetic actuation (iDrive),
but with the advantage of being applicable to cantilevers of all shapes and sizes. Photothermal
excitation allows quantitative imaging in all environments, and the benefits are especially note-
worthy in liquids, where blueDrive enables stable imaging for hours. The only drawback is that can-
tilevers may require a gold coating to achieve high amplitudes with photothermal excitation.
More details about the benefits of blueDrive are described in the following webinar:
AFM Imaging and Nanomechanics with New blueDrive™ Photothermal Excitation
”.
16.2 How much light power do you need?
Depending on the cantilever shape, the coating, or the imaging environment, up to 10 mW of blue
light might be necessary to drive the cantilever substantially, or as little as 0.1 mW might be
enough.
As shown in the following image, blueDrive is supplied with five filter cubes. The purpose of the fil-
ter cubes is to attenuate the blue light power to a desired level.
Choosing the correct filter cube ensures that the right amount of blue light power reaches the can-
tilever in order to avoid having excess blue light hitting the cantilever. This minimizes cantilever
heating and maximizes the performance of blueDrive.
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