Microscope Imaging Service—Agilent 5500 AFM/STM

Summary

The Agilent 5500 Atomic Force Microscope/Scanning Tunnelling Microscope (AFM/STM) system housed at DiSC can be operated in contact, non-contact and tapping modes. Beyond the more traditional surface studies, liquid samples can be analysed. Conductivity maps of conducting materials can be determined. The instrument can provide phase-contrast imaging, bearing additional and complementary information with respect to the more conventional topographic contrast set-up. In the STM mode the instrument affords the control of current set-point levels as low as few pico-Amperes. This AFM/STM is equipped with an eight-gate environmental chamber that allows to maintain the sample and the tip under controlled atmosphere during measurement, thus enabling dynamic studies characterized by controlled changes of the gas or liquid ambient surrounding the sample in the scan-time, with no need to stop the run.