Bruker Releases AFM Zoom Option for 3D Optical Microscopes

Bruker has announced at the 2012 Materials Research Society (MRS) Fall Meeting the release of the unique NanoLens™ Atomic Force Microscope (AFM) accessory for ContourGT® 3D optical microscopes.

Designed for fast installation on a new five-position, fully automated turret, the compact NanoLens delivers unprecedented high-resolution imaging capabilities without sacrificing measurement speed in optical modes.

With NanoLens, users can perform nanometer-scale surface and material property analysis on the same system that provides the industry’s most repeatable and versatile 3D optical microscopy measurements.

“We have addressed a need in industry to combine nanoscale AFM zoom capabilities with high-throughput 3D optical microscopy,” said Mark R. Munch, Ph.D., President, Bruker MAT Group and Bruker Nano Surfaces Division.

Munch continued, “The NanoLens makes it easy to augment the large field of view, high throughput and unmatched Zaxis resolution of our ContourGT systems with the higher lateral ‘1000x’ resolution of an AFM. This can be exceptionally useful for production line defect analysis and process development, where time spent moving samples between tools means lost productivity and lower yield.”

“We focused on making the NanoLens simple to install, operate and maintain. Customers who are familiar with AFM technology will be amazed at how fast and easy it is to connect the NanoLens and begin collecting data,” added Rob Loiterman, Executive Vice President and General Manager of Bruker’s Stylus and Optical Metrology Business.

Loiterman continued, “With tip changes that take under five minutes combined with the gage-capable ‘measurement on demand’ design of our 3D optical microscopes, NanoLens ensures fastest time to data for AFM and optical measurement modes.”