Park NX15 is a versatile atomic force microscope (AFM) engineered for dependable performance. Its sample stage accommodates full coverage of wafers up to 150 mm, providing a reliable platform for nanoscale metrology in semiconductor and materials research.
The core technology of NX15 lies in Park’s proprietary orthogonal scan system and True Non-contact™ mode. These innovations virtually eliminate lateral motion artifacts while protecting both tip and sample, enabling artifact-free, high-resolution imaging even for delicate or challenging specimens.
From materials science and semiconductors to polymers and bioengineering, NX15 delivers robust performance and dependable results, making it a trusted platform for advanced nanoscale metrology.
Key Features
Outstanding NX Mechanical Design
NX15 is built around improved XY and Z scanner performance. This includes fast Z-servo speed, which gives quick vertical response, and improved Z scan straightness for accurate imaging. In addition, the XY scanner ensures precise positioning during scans.
Fast Z Servo and High Resolution
The resolution of the images in Park NX series has been further enhanced. The NX Z scanner, built with a stacked piezo actuator and a strain gauge sensor, delivers fast and precise measurements across a wide range of surfaces. From extremely flat to rough samples, it maintains consistent roughness linearity regardless of scan size, ensuring reliable results in any measurement.
NX Laser Beam Path
The NX head integrates a superluminescent diode that provides low coherence illumination, minimizing interference for stable signal detection. The laser beam is guided through precision mirrors to the cantilever and position-sensitive photodetector (PSPD), ensuring accurate signal alignment.
The knobs move the laser beam directly along the X and Y axes, allowing intuitive adjustment of the beam position and effortless realignment during probe replacement.
Pre-Mounted Probe
AFM probe exchange can be challenging, even for experienced users, often resulting in cantilever breakage. Park AFM addresses this by using pre-aligned probe chip carriers with kinematic mounting points, ensuring reliable and consistent tip positioning.
The NX head Z scanner features three precision balls for kinematic mounting, complemented by magnets at the base to ensure a secure, reliable, and repeatable mounting position.
Improved Z Scan Straightness
Park NX series Z scanner maintains straightness within 0.1% across the usable range, with out-of-axis motion under 5 nm even at a full 15 µm extension.
Its compact assembly, combining a preload spring, kinematic pin, and piezo actuator, minimizes drift and ensures accurate vertical motion for reliable, distortion-free nanoscale measurements.
Simple Expansion Slot for Modes and Options
Simply plug an option module into the expansion slot to enable advanced AFM modes. Park NX series AFM features a modular design, ensuring compatibility with options across its product line.
On-Axis Optical Microscope
The high-power on-axis optical microscope provides a clear view of the sample surface. A software-controlled LED light source illuminates the sample surface for better observation.
Park AFM Technology
Orthogonal Scan System
Conventional AFMs with tube scanners suffer from out-of-plane motion and axes crosstalk, resulting in image distortion, especially over large scan areas. NX15, like all Park AFMs, employs an advanced orthogonal scan system featuring a flexure-guided architecture: a 2D flexure scanner moves the sample in the XY plane, while a separate 1D flexure scanner independently controls the probe’s Z-axis motion.
For large samples, a single-servo XY scan architecture can be vulnerable to the rotational motion of the sample chuck. This rotational motion can introduce positioning errors that increase with distance from the position sensor.
The XY scanner is designed to achieve flat, purely horizontal motion without vertical interference by using stacked piezo actuators and flexure hinge structures. A position sensor provides direct feedback for servo control, minimizing positioning errors across the scan area. This design ensures consistent accuracy and stability across the entire 150 × 150 mm² sample area.
Park AFM Technology
True Non-Contact™ Mode
NX15 features True Non-contact™ mode, a proprietary technology exclusively offered by Park Systems. True Non-contact mode obtains topography by detecting the attractive van der Waals force between the AFM tip and the sample surface.
