Regensburg 2007 – scientific programme

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O: Fachverband Oberflächenphysik

O 17: Poster Session I (Nanostructures at Surfaces; Metal Substrates: Epitaxy and Growth; Methods: Scanning Probe Techniques; Phase Transitions)

O 17.38: Poster

Monday, March 26, 2007, 17:30–20:30, Poster C

Development of a fast SPM controller — •Christopher Zaum and Karina Morgenstern — Institut für Festkörperphysik, Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz Universität , Appelstr. 2, D-30167 Hannover, Germany

Results in scanning probe microscopy depend heavily on the quality and stability of the utilized microscope controller. Therefore commercial SPM controllers make up roughly half the price of a microscope assembly. We developed a low-cost SPM controller based on National Instrument's CompactRIO real-time system. The controller features a low noise level, scan speeds up to one image per second, and full remote access over Ethernet at only tenth of the price of a commercial electronics. Furthermore, our system can control different piezo scanners, supplies two HV-channels for external approach mechanism, and controls the approach-process over a build-in RS-232 interface. The SPM controller is accessed via a menu-driven software based on LabVIEW. It offers a full range of microscope control options as well as advanced image processing and analyzing functions in a multi-monitor environment. Due to its compact and lightweight design, our SPM controller is part of the SONOS-project of the European Space Agency.