Large Sample AFM: Park FX300
Park FX300 is Park Systems' latest innovation in atomic force microscopy, designed to accommodate samples up to 300 mm. Low noise, minimal thermal drift, and enhanced mechanical stability deliver unmatched precision for both research and industrial settings.
Manufacturer: Park Systems — South Korea
Overview
Park FX300 is Park Systems' latest innovation in atomic force microscopy, designed to accommodate samples up to 300 mm. With a low noise floor, minimal thermal drift, and enhanced mechanical stability, the FX300 delivers unmatched precision and reliability across research and industrial settings, with automated scan parameter settings, sequential measurements across multiple coordinates, and powerful data analysis.
Superior FX Mechanical Design
The optical microscope is decoupled from the Z stage, reducing susceptibility to mechanical disturbances, while the Z stage is built with a high-stiffness cross-roller guide and two bearing blocks. A wide trapezoidal strut reinforces mechanical rigidity, and expansion-matched materials with low thermal expansion coefficients mitigate thermal drift.
Automatic Laser Beam Alignment and Probe Exchange
The vision-guided alignment system detects the cantilever, aligns it at the center of the field of view, and steers the laser beam onto the position-sensitive photodetector automatically. The automatic tip exchanger (ATX) stores up to 16 pre-mounted probes on QR-coded chip carriers with kinematic mounting for one-click, breakage-free probe exchange.
Safety and Facility Features
FX300 includes essential safety features for industrial environments: a facility controller for centralized system management, a photo ionizer with signal light to control static charges on the sample, an emergency machine off (EMO) button, and a signal tower with buzzer for clear visual and audible status alerts. An optional fan filter unit maintains air purity for sensitive operations.
Orthogonal Scan System and True Non-Contact™ Mode
Conventional AFMs with tube scanners suffer from out-of-plane motion and axes crosstalk, resulting in image distortion, especially over large scan areas. Like all Park AFMs, this system employs an advanced orthogonal scan system with 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. This separated scanner design ensures highly orthogonal, linear scans with minimal out-of-plane motion, and closed-loop servo control with low-noise sensors delivers precise, repeatable scanning across all axes.
True Non-Contact™ mode is a proprietary technology exclusively offered by Park Systems. It obtains topography by detecting the attractive van der Waals force between the AFM tip and the sample surface, preventing destructive tip-sample interaction during the scan. The result is high-resolution, accurate data with prolonged tip life and preserved sample integrity – even on the most delicate or fragile samples.
Software
Park SmartScan™ is an advanced AFM operating software featuring an elegant, intuitive interface and powerful features designed for superior image quality and an enhanced user experience. Park SmartAnalysis™ complements it with fast image processing, comprehensive data analysis, and efficient result publication.
Specifications for Park FX300
| Specification | Park FX300 |
|---|---|
| Sample Capacity | Wafers up to 300 mm (vacuum grooves); multi-wafer chuck for 150 mm wafers (optional); thickness up to 20 mm |
| Scanner | Dual-servo XY scanner: 100 µm × 100 µm or 15 µm × 15 µm; flexure-guided high-force Z scanner: 15 µm or 30 µm |
| Stage | XY stage 350 mm × 300 mm; Z stage 22 mm |
| On-Axis Optics | Direct on-axis vision of sample surface and cantilever; field of view 840 µm × 630 µm (with 10× objective); 5 M pixel CCD |
| Automatic Tip Exchanger | 16 pre-aligned probes with kinematic mount and QR-code chip carriers |
| Imaging Mode | True Non-Contact™ mode (Park proprietary) plus standard AFM imaging and property-mapping modes |
| AFM Modes | Topographic (contact incl. Fast Imaging Mode, True Non-Contact™, tapping, PinPoint™, Fast PinPoint™); mechanical (nanomechanical modes, F-D spectroscopy, nanoindentation, FMM, DMA, TFM, LFM); electrical (C-AFM, SSRM, SCM, PFM variants, EFM, KPFM variants, MIM); magnetic (MFM variants); thermal (SThM); nanolithography and nanomachining; options marked by Park as requiring additional configuration |
| Safety and Facility | Photo ionizer; facility controller; emergency machine off (EMO) button; fan filter unit (optional) |
| Dimensions | Acoustic enclosure (outer): 1,250 mm × 1,280 mm × 1,560 mm; cabinet: 1,176 mm × 900 mm × 2,038 mm |
| Total Weight | 2,225 kg (AFM body + acoustic enclosure) |
| Required Environment | Acoustic noise level below 65 dB; floor vibration level VC-D (6.25 µm/s); power 3 kW (maximum) |
| Software | Park SmartScan™ operating software; Park SmartAnalysis™ image analysis software |