ISO/TC 201/SC 9/WG 5 - Calibration of probes

This document describes a procedure for the quantitative characterization of the probe tip of an atomic force microscope (AFM) probe and a restoration of AFM topography images dilated by finite probe size. The three-dimensional shape of the probe apex is extracted by image reconstruction using suitable reference materials. This document is applicable to the reconstruction of AFM topography images of solid material surfaces.

ISO 11775:2015 describes five of the methods for the determination of normal spring constants for atomic force microscope cantilevers to an accuracy of 5 % to 10 %. Each method is in one of the three categories of dimensional, static experimental, and dynamic experimental methods. The method chosen depends on the purpose, convenience, and instrumentation available to the analyst. For accuracies better than 5 % to 10 %, more sophisticated methods not described here are required.

ISO 13095:2014 specifies two methods for characterizing the shape of an AFM probe tip, specifically the shank and approximate tip profiles. These methods project the profile of an AFM probe tip onto a given plane, and the characteristics of the probe shank are also projected onto that plane under defined operating conditions. The latter indicates the usefulness of a given probe for depth measurements in narrow trenches and similar profiles. This International Standard is applicable to the probes with radii greater than 5u0, where u0 is the uncertainty of the width of the ridge structure in the reference sample used to characterize the probe.