Piezoelectric Scanners: Hysteresis and Aging
Rev. F
Scanning Probe Microscope Training Notebook
17
Figure 8.1b
100mm x 100mm scans in the forward (trace) and reverse (retrace) directions of a two-dimensional
10mm pitch grating without linearity correction. Both scans are in the down direction. Notice the differences in
the spacing, size, and shape of the pits between the bottom and the top of each image. The effect of the hysteresis
loop on each scan direction is demonstrated.
This nonlinear relationship is corrected during the calibration routine by applying a nonlinear
voltage in Realtime to produce a linear scan in X and Y in both trace and retrace scan directions.
(U.S. Pat. #5,051,646)
Figure 8.1c
Nonlinear waveform (solid line) applied to the piezo electrodes to produce linear scanner
movement. The unaltered triangular waveform (dashed line) is included for reference
.
100µm x 100µm scan of the same two-dimensional 10µm pitch calibration grating with a nonlinear
scan voltage. Notice the equal spacing between all pits and the consistent shape and size of pits
throughout the image.