Veeco Dimension 3100, Manual

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Stage System
Stage Menu Commands
Rev. D Dimension 3100 Manual 75
Figure 5.2d Focus Surface Prompt
2. Use the left button on the trackball to focus on the surface (which moves the SPM or Z stage
up and down).
3. Use the right button on the trackball to zoom out completely when trying to focus on the
surface.
4. If the sample is not already under the microscope, use the trackball (with neither the left nor
right buttons pressed) to move the X-Y stage until the sample is in position.
5. If the surface is partially in focus, use the Autofocus option to complete the focusing
process.
6. To focus on the sample “surface” (normal operation) or the “tip reflection” (for extremely
clean samples), change the Focus On parameter accordingly.
Note: For reflective or semi-reflective samples, the tip reflection is easier to bring into
focus than the surface, especially if the sample is very flat or clean.
7. For samples which are difficult to bring into focus, move to an edge of the sample, which is
easy to find in the optical image, and bring the top of the edge into focus.
8. Move the sample back to the desired X-Y position.
9. Verify that the surface remains in focus.
CAUTION: When moving the SPM stage up and down, it is possible to crash
the tip into the surface. To prevent a crash while focusing on the
surface, watch the optical image
and tip-to-sample proximity. The
sample should be in focus when the tip is 1mm (1000µm) above
the surface.
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