AFM with the slope compensation technique for high-speed precision measurement of micro-structured surfaces

In this paper, we applied the contact constant-height mode together with the pre-compensation technique which can realize the capability of high speed as well as faithful topographical image. Before scanning, the slope variation of the micro-structured surface was measured by the capacitance sensor and then stored in a PC. During the surface profile scanning, a piezoelectric actuator is applied which can provide the inconsecutive motion that corresponds to the pre-measured slope variation. As a result, the precision measurement can also be achieved. The validity of the proposed method and its performance are verified by compare the topographical images that were gained by the contact constant-force mode with feedback control. However, the scanning speed of our method is obviously high.