Standards Development

Scope

This International Standard specifies the method and procedure for determining the effects of temperature on atomic force microscope (AFM) dimensional measurements at the micro- and nanoscales. The effect of temperature is evaluated by continuously measuring the X- and Y- pitches of a lateral measurement standard or the step height in the Z- direction of a vertical measurement standard in an environmental temperature controllable AFM. If necessary, this method and procedure can be used to evaluate the temperature effect on dimensional measurement of other scanning probe microscopes.

Note 1: During the continuous measurement, image drifts are unavoidable. Such an effect has been specified in ISO 11039:2012, and it is not described in this document.

Note 2: The X- axis of the scanner is defined in this standard as the fast-scan axis, and the Y- axis of the scanner as the slow-scan axis, as in common uses. The temperature may have different effects on the measured X- and Y- pitches. If the temperature effects on a scanner while working both as the fast- and slow-scan axes are of concern, one can just swap the fast- and slow-scan axes by rotating the scan angle by 90°, and then follow the method and procedure of this standard.