Automatic drift elimination in probe microscope images based on techniques of counter-scanning and topography feature recognition

Lapshin, Rostislav V.

doi:10.1088/0957-0233/18/3/046

Cited by 65 publications

(84 citation statements)

References 13 publications

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“…It is difficult to distinguish them from the image itself; therefore it requires a drift elimination procedure (Lapshin, 2007) prior to applying coordinate transformation.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Three‐dimensional Image Correction of Tilted Samples Through Coordinate Transformation

Chu

Dixson

et al. 2008

Scanning

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In scanned probe measurements of micrometer- or nanometer-scale lines, it is nearly impossible to maintain the sample in a perfectly level position, and even a small amount of tilt can contribute to the accuracy of the result of the measure such as linewidth or step height. The current practice in image processing to deal with this problem is to conduct a line-by-line analysis to find the best fit of the substrate profile and subtract this background from all data points, thus describing 3D plane turns as a series of lines and processing them in succession in the x- or y-direction. In this paper a coordinate transformation method is proposed. The new coordinate system can be established on the basis of the inclined angle of the sample as well as the translation of three axes between the old coordinate system and the new coordinate system. The method can mathematically derive and hence correct all tilts around the x-, y- and z-axes and produce a leveled image simultaneously. Feature dimensions such as width, height, sidewall angle and pitch are calculated on the basis of simulated images using the coordinate transformation method and other methods. The result shows the advantage of the proposed method.

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“…It is difficult to distinguish them from the image itself; therefore it requires a drift elimination procedure (Lapshin, 2007) prior to applying coordinate transformation.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Three‐dimensional Image Correction of Tilted Samples Through Coordinate Transformation

Chu

Dixson

et al. 2008

Scanning

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“…Recently, Lapshin (2004Lapshin ( , 2007 suggested a featureoriented scanning (FOS) method that may help to solve a number of problems connected with the use of an SPM on board a spacecraft. FOS is a method intended for the highprecision measurement of surface micro-to nanotopography as well as other surface properties and characteristics by way of scanning probe microscopy, where surface features (objects) are used as reference points for the microscope probe.…”

Section: Feature-oriented Scanningmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The new performance capabilities of the FOS method are available as a result of the use of the following combination of techniques (Lapshin, 2004(Lapshin, , 2007: localization of the measurements, operation with separate surface features, movement by short distances from one feature to another located nearby, relative nature of the measurements and multiple measurement iterations, consecutive probe attachments to surface features, continuous monitoring of drift velocity, and use of hierarchically organized counter displacements of the probe.…”

Section: Feature-oriented Scanningmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…To reach a preset precision, the FOS algorithm, by assessing the amount of distortion, indicates whether to rescan the apertures (an aperture is a raster scan that includes the current feature and several neighboring features) and segments or insert additional attachments and skippings (a skipping is a basic measurement operation in FOS) (Lapshin, 2004). By using an optimized connection trajectory, aperture-wise scanning (Lapshin, 2007), and closed-loop systems equipped with position sensors, the productivity of the FOS method proposed may be improved. It should be noted that any FOS method will always be slower than conventional scanning because of the redundancy inherent in it.…”

Section: Feature-oriented Scanningmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Availability of Feature-Oriented Scanning Probe Microscopy for Remote-Controlled Measurements on Board a Space Laboratory or Planet Exploration Rover

Lapshin

2009

Astrobiology

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Prospects for a feature-oriented scanning (FOS) approach to investigations of sample surfaces, at the micrometer and nanometer scales, with the use of scanning probe microscopy under space laboratory or planet exploration rover conditions, are examined. The problems discussed include decreasing sensitivity of the onboard scanning probe microscope (SPM) to temperature variations, providing autonomous operation, implementing the capabilities for remote control, self-checking, self-adjustment, and self-calibration. A number of topical problems of SPM measurements in outer space or on board a planet exploration rover may be solved via the application of recently proposed FOS methods.

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“…To compensate the drift distortion within the AFM image, correction after image acquisition is the usual way. After measuring the drift velocities either through imaging known structures [17]- [19] or by cross correlation of subsequent images [20], [21], the thermal drift can be compensated thus to remove the distortion in the image. The correction after image acquisition, however, is unable to register the relative position between the tip and the nano-objects, which is of critical importance for success of nanomanipulation.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Drift Compensation in AFM-Based Nanomanipulation by Strategic Local Scan

Wang

Liu

2012

IEEE Trans. Automat. Sci. Eng.

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Abstract-The drift distorts the atomic force microscopy (AFM) images as the time taken to acquire a complete AFM image is relatively long (a few minutes). As the AFM image is used as a reference for most manipulation mechanisms, the image distorted by drift will cause problems for AFM-based manipulation because the displayed positions of the objects under nanomanipulation do not match their actual locations. The drift during manipulation, similarly, will further exacerbate the mismatch between the displayed positions and the actual locations. Such mismatch is a major hurdle to achieve automation in AFM-based nanomanipulation. Without proper compensation, manipulation based on a wrong displayed location of the object often fails. In this paper, we present an algorithm to identify and eliminate the drift-induced distortion in the AFM image by applying a strategic local scan method. Briefly, after an AFM image is captured, the entire image is divided into several parts along vertical direction. A quick local scan is performed in each part of the image to measure the drift value in that very part. In this manner, the drift value is calculated in a small local area instead of the global image. Thus, the drift can be more precisely estimated and the actual position of the objects can be more accurately identified. In this paper, we also present the strategy to constantly compensate the drift during manipulation. By applying local scan on a single fixed feature in the AFM image frequently, the most current positions of all objects can be displayed in the augmented reality for real-time visual feedback.Notes to Practitioners-Fabrication of nanoscale devices by AFM-based manipulation has attracted much attention recently. However, it is a sequential approach and therefore the throughput is low. To increase the efficiency of AFM-based nanomanipulation, automation is considered to be the ultimate solution. Unfortunately, automation in AFM-based nanomanipulation is facing several technical hurdles. The thermal drift is one of them. Because of the presence of thermal expansion and contraction, the relative position between the tip and the sample undergoes drift with respect to time. Therefore, the AFM images are often distorted due to the thermal drift because the time taken to acquire a complete AFM image is in the range of minutes. This paper tries to tackle this problem by compensating the thermal drift through direct measurement of the thermal drift by local scan. The direct measurement not only can be used to correct Manuscript received December 07, 2011; revised June 14, 2012; accepted July 20, 2012 the drift-induced distortion in the initial AFM image, it can also be used to compensate the real-time drift during manipulation. Starting from a drift-clean image at the beginning and with drift being compensated in real-time during manipulation, the AFM-based nanomanipulation can be more accurate and efficient. The research results here is one of the important steps to achieve full automation in AFM-based nanomanipulation.

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Automatic drift elimination in probe microscope images based on techniques of counter-scanning and topography feature recognition

Cited by 65 publications

References 13 publications

Three‐dimensional Image Correction of Tilted Samples Through Coordinate Transformation

Three‐dimensional Image Correction of Tilted Samples Through Coordinate Transformation

Availability of Feature-Oriented Scanning Probe Microscopy for Remote-Controlled Measurements on Board a Space Laboratory or Planet Exploration Rover

Drift Compensation in AFM-Based Nanomanipulation by Strategic Local Scan

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