Self-calibration of scanning probe microscope: mapping the errors of the instrument

Abstract

In this paper, a self-calibration method has been employed for mapping the errors in the xy-plane and the squareness error between the z-axis and xy-plane of the SPMs. The self-calibration method has advantages such as a rather simple calibration setup, being capable of extracting both artefact-related and SPM-related errors, and a high calibration performance limited only by the stability of the instruments. Two commercial SPMs have been investigated using the proposed method. The obtained results agree well with those obtained from classical calibration methods by means of highly accurate transfer standards and metrological devices. The self-calibration method could be a kind of effective complementary method for mapping more errors of SPMs.