Atomic Force Microscope Probe (AFM Probe)It is one of the crucial consumables for Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM) equipment. Our company offers a variety of Brook AFM probes in different styles and models, catering to various AFM solutions across various application fields.
In experiments, the data obtained by users typically depends on the quality and repeatability of the probes.布鲁克(Bruker) probes feature stringent nanofabrication control and quality testing, with a professional background in the AFM field. Not only can they provide test results for current applications, but they also offer reference data for future research.
Currently, the Bruker Atomic Force Microscope (AFM) is widely used in nanotechnology development across various fields such as life sciences, materials science, semiconductor, and electrochemistry. Due to its broad application, the variety of probes is also continually expanding. To assist customers in conveniently selecting the appropriate probe model for their measurement needs, refer to the following probe selection guide for a quicker identification of the most suitable probe type.
Probe Selection Guide
I. AFM Probe Introduction
Each probe consists of three parts: the tip (needle point), the cantilever, and the substrate.
Most materials are silicon or silicon nitride.
Common shapes for cantilever beams include: rectangular, triangular, and Special.
1) Key parameters of the cantilever include: spring constant, resonance frequency, cantilever length (width, thickness, etc.), cantilever shape, coating of the cantilever, material of the cantilever, number of cantilever beams, etc.
2) Key parameters of the needle tip include: tip radius, tip geometry, tip coating, and tip height.
3) Different probes have specific applications, so we have also categorized them based on suitable sample types, compatible AFM models (including non-Bruker AFM models), suitable work modes, and appropriate applications. You can perform corresponding filtering and searches in the selection bar on the left side of the probe.
How to Select AFM Probes:
1) Confirm the item to be tested
High polymers, inorganic substances, cells...
2) Confirm AFM Application Mode
Appearance, electrical properties, submersible imaging, force curves............
3) Confirm the scan accuracy
Selecting the appropriate probe tip with 1nm, 2nm, 7nm, 10nm...?
4) Confirm resonant frequency and elastic coefficient
Subject to scanning speed, operating mode, hardness of the item to be tested, etc.
Note: The website currently displays a selection of common probe series and models. Some Bruker (Bruker) probe models, such as PFQNM-LC and PEAKFORCE SECM, are not shown on the website. For a quote or specific parameters, please contact our company. Contact information is available in the "Contact Us" section above.
III. Below is a brief description for most probe series:
Description of the symbols A, AW, W; -HM, -HR, -LM, etc. following different probe series, as detailed below:
1) AD Series Probes, diamond-coated conductive silicon probes, 5 per pack. Different models available based on frequency and curvature radius.
2) CDP and CDR series, EBD-CD probe, mainly for use with the insight (fully automatic atomic force microscope) models.
3) CLFC Series Probes, Tipless
• CLFC-NOBO and CLFC-NOMB probes, used for calibration, utilizing their known cantilever Kref (spring constant) values to calibrate the K value of the unknown probe's cantilever.
• The elastic coefficient of the arm to be calibrated should generally be around 0.3 Kref.
4) CONTV series probes
• -A indicates a pack of 10 needles, with the arm back coated in aluminum.
• -AW signifies a wafer, with approximately 300-400 pins, and the cantilever backside is coated with aluminum.
• -W indicates a wafer without coating on the backside of the cantilever.
• Listed as CONTV, indicating a pack of 10 needles, but the arm back is uncoated (no coating)
• - PT indicates that the cantilever front (including the tip) has a Ptlr coating, conductive
5) DDESP series and DDLTESP-V2, DDRFESP40 probes, conductive, with conductive diamond coated tip
6) DNISP series and PDNISP, MDNISP-HS, NICT-MAP probes, all featuring handcrafted natural diamond nanoindentation tips, are suitable for nanoindentation applications.
7) DNP series probes, each model features a gold-plated coating on the back of the cantilever
-10 indicates a pack of 10 needles with a nominal curvature radius of 20nm.
• No number follows DNP, indicating a single wafer per box, with approximately 300-400 needles, and the nominal curvature radius is 20nm.
• -S10 indicates a pack of 10 needles with a nominal curvature radius of 10nm
• DNP-S followed by no numbers indicates a single wafer per box, with approximately 300-400 pins, and the nominal curvature radius is 10nm.
8) ESP Series Probes
• ESP with an "A" indicates a pack of 10 needles, with the arm back coated in aluminum.
• ESP followed by AW indicates a wafer with approximately 300-400 pins, and its cantilever backside is coated with aluminum.
• ESP with W indicates a wafer, but the back of the cantilever is uncoated (no coating)
• Simply wrote ESP, indicating a pack of 10 needles, but the arm back is uncoated (no coating)
9) Fastscan series probes, specifically designed for use with the Dimension FASTSCAN AFM model
10) FESP Series Probes
• FESP followed by an "A" indicates a pack of 10 needles with an aluminum (Al) plated back arm.
• FESP with AW indicates a wafer, featuring approximately 300-400 pins, and the back of the cantilever is coated with aluminum.
• FESP with W indicates a wafer, but the back of the cantilever is uncoated (no coating)
• Only FESP is written, indicating a pack of 10 needles, but the arm back is uncoated (no coating)
11) FIB Series Probes
• - A set contains 5 pieces with an Al coating on the back of the cantilever; otherwise, it's a set of 5 pieces with no coating on the back of the cantilever (nocoating).
• Different AFM models correspond to different types of FIB probes; please check the AFM probe filter for details.
12) FMV Series Probes
• -A indicates a pack of 10 needles, with an aluminum coating on the back of the arm
• -AW indicates a wafer with approximately 300-400 pins and an aluminum coating on the back of the cantilever.
• -W indicates a wafer, but the back of the cantilever is uncoated (no coating)
• Only FMV is written, indicating a pack of 10 needles, but the arm back is uncoated (no coating)
- PT indicates that the cantilever front (including the tip) is coated with Ptlr, conductive.
13) HAR Series Probes
• -A-10 indicates a pack of 10 needles, with the arm back coated in aluminum.
14) HMX Series Probes
• -10 indicates a pack of 10 needles, with the arm back coated in aluminum.
• -W signifies a wafer with an aluminum coating on its cantilevered back side.
15) LTESP Series Probes
• -A represents a pack of 10 needles, with an aluminum coating on the back of the arm
• -AW indicates a wafer with approximately 300-400 pins, and it has an aluminum coating on the back of the cantilever.
• -W indicates a wafer without coating on the backside of the cantilever.
• Only wrote LTESP, indicating a pack of 10 pins, but the cantilever back is uncoated (no coating)
16) MESP Series Probes, conductive, with Magnetic CoCr conductive coating on the cantilever front (including tip)
• -HM indicates High Moment
• HR stands for High Resolution High Moment (High-resolution, High Moment)
• -LM indicates low moment
17) MLCT Series
• The -bio and -bio-DC probes are optimized for biological samples. They have different tip shapes and heights compared to MLCT, and the -bio-DC probe features thermal drift compensation. Therefore, consider using these probes for measuring biological samples in cell cultures and during temperature fluctuations.
• The coating of MLCT-FB is thicker than MLCT, with the same features as MLCT.
• -O indicates no tip.
• -UC indicates no coating. Tip radius is 20nm.
18) MSCT Series Probes
• MSCT-MT-A features a single cantilever, compatible for use only on innova.
- UC indicates no coating. The MSCT series has a smaller tip radius (10nm) compared to the MLCT series.
19) The MSNL series features a smaller needle tip radius compared to the MSCT and MLCT series, at just 2nm.
20) Probes for MLCT, MSCT, and MSNL series, all coated ones are reflection gold.
21) The NCHV series, although similar in parameters to the rtesp-300, is a cost-effective probe. It is only suitable for qualitative analysis and not for use in QNM.
22) The NCLV series probes are also cost-effective probes.
23) NP Series Probes
• -10UC indicates a box of 10 pieces, with no coating on the back of the cantilever.
• -W-UC indicates one wafer per box, with the cantilever backside uncoated.
• NP followed by "G" indicates that both the front and back of the cantilever have a Gold plating; NPG means one wafer per box, approximately 300-400 pieces of NPG
• -10 indicates a box of 10 units
• -O10 indicates a pack of 10, probe with no needle tip (tipless) and the arm backside is gold plated
• -OW indicates one wafer per box, tipless probe, with a gold plated back arm
• NPV-10 indicates a box of 10 pieces, with the arm backside gold plated.
24) The OBL-10 probe is non-angled adjustable; the cantilever tilt angle is ±3°, and it cannot be mounted on the Dimension afm.
25) PEAKFORCE-HIRS series probes, with a tip radius as small as 1nm, and frequencies above 100KHz, are suitable for high-resolution imaging.
26) PFDT series, specifically used for measuring Holes/Trenches on Dimension icon models with the Peakforce Deep Trench working mode.
27) PFQNE-AL Probe, Conductive, optimized for peakforce KPFM mode. Due to some parameters being confidential, not all parameters are currently displayed.
28) The PT series is designed for STM mode probes.
29) RESP Series Probes
• "A" following "RESP" indicates that the back of the cantilever has an Al coating, and there are 10 pieces in a box.
• Following "RESP," "AW" indicates that the arm back has an Al coating, and there is one wafer in a box, with approximately 300-400 pieces.
• Followed by " " after "RESP," indicates that the back of the cantilever is uncoated, and there are 10 pieces in a box.
-10 indicates the resonance frequency is 10KHz
-20 indicates the resonance frequency is 20KHz
-40 indicates the operating frequency is 40KHz.
30) RFESP Series Probes
• RFESP followed by "A" indicates that the arm back has an aluminum coating, and each box contains 10 pieces.
• RFESP followed by "AW" indicates that the back of the cantilever has an Al coating, and each box contains one wafer, with approximately 300-400 strands.
• RFESP followed by a space indicates that the arm back is uncoated, and each box contains 10 pieces.
- -190 indicates the resonant frequency is 190KHz.
-75 indicates the resonance frequency is 75KHz
-40 indicates the operating frequency is 40KHz.
RMN series probe, conductive
• Solid Metal probes with excellent conductivity and no film adhesion issues typically associated with coated silicon probes.
• Different models are available for various applications.
32) RTESP Series Probes
• RTESP followed by "A" indicates that the back of the cantilever has an Al coating, and there are 10 pieces in a box.
• RTESP followed by "AW" indicates that the back of the arm has an Al coating, and there is one wafer in a box, approximately 300-400 pieces.
• RTESP followed by " ", indicates uncoated back arm, and each box contains 10 pieces
• -150 indicates a resonant frequency of 150KHz; -150-30 refers to a pre-calibrated probe, indicating a resonant frequency of 150KHz with a curvature radius of 30nm.
- -300 indicates a resonant frequency of 300KHz; -300-30 refers to a pre-calibrated probe, indicating a resonant frequency of 300KHz with a curvature radius of 30nm.
- -525 indicates a working frequency of 525KHz; -525-30 is a pre-calibrated probe, signifying a resonance frequency of 525KHz with a curvature radius of 30nm.
33) SAA-HPI Series Probes
• -30 indicates a pre-calibrated probe with a curvature radius of 30nm.
- SS indicates ultra-sharp probe, with a nominal curvature radius of 1nm.
Pre-calibrated probes include:
• SAA-HPI-30: 0.25N/m, k certified, controlled end radius, 5 pcs per box
• RTESPA-150-30: 5N/m, k certified, controlled end radius, 5 pcs per box
• RTESPA-300-30: 40N/m, k certified, controlled end radius, 5 pcs per box
• RTESPA-525-30: 200N/m, k certified, controlled end radius, 5 pcs per box
34) SCANASYST Series Probes
Probe specifically optimized for SCANASYST (Intelligent Mode)
35) SCM Series Probes, conductive, with Conductive PtIr or Conductive PtSi coating on the cantilever front (including tip)
36) SMIM Series Probes, Conductive
37) SNL Series Probes
• -10 indicates a pack of 10.
• -W indicates one wafer per box, approximately 300-400 pieces
SSRM-DIA probe, conductive
TESP Series Probes
• TESP followed by "A" indicates that the back of the cantilever has an Al coating, and each box contains 10 pieces.
• TESP followed by "AW" indicates that the back of the cantilever has an Al coating, and there is one wafer in a box, approximately 300-400 pieces.
• TESP followed by "D" indicates DLC coated silicon probe, featuring a diamond-like carbon (DLC) coating for surface hardening, with the purpose of extending the tip's lifespan; each pack contains 10 pieces.
• TESP followed by "DW" indicates DLC Coated Silicon Probe, featuring a surface硬化 Diamond-Like Carbon (DLC) coating to enhance tip lifespan, with one wafer per box.
• TESP followed by a space indicates that the back of the cantilever is uncoated, and each box contains 10 pieces.
• -HAR indicates a probe with a high aspect ratio (HAR), which is an ideal choice for imaging under tapping mode for samples with high/ deep geometric shapes.
• -V2 indicates a high-quality, newly designed probe
• -SS indicates Extra Sharp Point, with a nominal tip curvature radius of 2nm, and each pack contains 10 needles.
• -SSW indicates Extra Sharp Tip, with a nominal tip curvature radius of 2nm, and each wafer is packed in a separate box.
40) VITA series probes, used for thermal analysis or scanning thermal analysis. Specific models, parameters, and compatible AFM models can be found by searching the probe website.
41) VTESP Series Probes
This is a probe with a visible apex shape, the tip located at the front end of the cantilever, suitable for positioning. The OLTESPA-R3, OSCM-PT-R3 (conductive probe), and OTESPA-R3, VTESP series probes are also visible apex probes with the tip at the front end of the cantilever, used for positioning.
• VTESP followed by "A" indicates that the back of the cantilever has an aluminum coating.
-300 indicates the resonance frequency is 300KHz.
• -70 indicates the resonance frequency is 70KHz
- -300 (or -70) followed by "-W" indicates one wafer per box.
-300 (or -70) followed by a space indicates a box of 10 pieces.
