2009 R&D 100 Winner
Atomic force microscopes measure and map topography by mechanically moving a sharp probe across the sample to “feel” the contours of the surface. The Cypher AFM from Asylum Research, Santa Barbara, Calif., offers significant upgrades from the existing field of older AFM/SPMs. Designed from the ground up with a host of new features, the Cypher uses a patented sensor technology that is capable of atomic resolution in all three axes. With positioning accuracies better than 60 picometers (0.06 nm) in X, Y, and Z, these nanopositioning sensors are, according to Asylum Research, the quietest available on an AFM.
This accuracy helps resolve a long-standing problem for AFM users: choosing between the high resolution of open-loop or accuracy of closed-loop operations. In open-loop operation, there is no positional feedback to compensate for distortions caused by the scanning piezos. In closed-loop operation, sensors track the probe position for more accurate imaging, but sensor noise can affect imaging and measurement. While Cypher exceeds the open-loop resolution of other commercially-available AFM/SPMs, it is in its closed-loop resolution, aided by the low noise (< 0.06 nm) nanopositioning sensors, that Cypher truly differentiates itself.
Technology
Atomic force microscope
Developer
Asylum Research
