Park Systems AFM instruments require the probe to be mounted upon a specially designed metal plate which is clipped magnetically to the AFM probe hand. For loading un-mounted probes, as provided by NanoAndMore, the probes must be placed into the Clip Type Chip Carrier using the corresponding Cantilever Exchanger.
The Clip Type Chip Carrier is a metal plate, with a small pocket for the AFM probe and a clamping spring attached to the plate. The Cantilever Exchanger is a tools that is needed to load probes into the carrier. If you do not have these tools, please contact your local Park Systems representative.
Open the Cantilever Exchanger by loosening the screw and flipping the lid.
When placing the Clip Type Chip Carrier in the pocked of the Cantilever Exchanger make sure the two are well aligned, as shown on the image.
Close the lid and tighten the screw. The lid will press down on the carrier, which will open the spring for probe loading.
The sharp tip of an AFM probe is susceptible to damage by electrostatic discharge (ESD). Electric fields near the probe chip may lead to field evaporation which can blunt the tip apex of the probe tip. Therefore, appropriate precautions to avoid tip damage due to electrostatic discharge are recommended when handling the probes.
Pick up the probe using sharp tweezers and place it onto the loading area of the Cantilever Exchanger (marked by white lines).
Slide the probe gently, into the open Clip Type Chip Carrier as far as the pocket allows. Take care not to touch the cantilever side with the tweezers – the cantilever will break off if touched.
Loosening the screw on the Cantilever Exchanger will release the spring and clamp the probe in the carrier.
Open the lid and take out the mounted probe.
Place the carrier with the mounted probe into the probe hand of your Park Systems AFM.
Proceed with the remainder of the setup/calibration of your experiment, as per your Park Systems instruction manual.
The NANOSENSORS™ video below with Thomas Sulzbach explains which tools are needed and a hands-on section shows how these tools are used for placing conventional AFM probes into the Clip Type Chip Carrier clamping securely the probe.
