blueDriveTM Photothermal Excitation Frequently Asked Questions

Asylum Research’s blueDrive Photothermal Excitation option for the Cypher STM and Cypher ESTM atomic force microscopes (AFMs) makes tapping mode techniques simpler, more stable, and more quantitative. Tapping mode is by far the dominant choice in the world of AFM, measuring not just topography, but also mechanical, electrical, and magnetic properties. Typically, piezoacoustic excitation is used to drive the cantilever oscillation. Though piezo drive is favored for design simplicity, the response of the cantilever is often far from ideal. Asylum’s blueDrive excitation mechanism produces an almost perfect response by directly exciting the cantilever photothermally. This provides significant performance and ease of use benefits for all tapping mode techniques.