The aim of this note is to set out some general guidelines for preparing samples before studying them with the ProteusQ SNVM system. These will not be applicable (or possible!) with all types of sample. If you have a particularly unusual sample, please consult with QMSI members to determine the best way to prepare your sample and design your experiment.
The ProteusQ is a scanning probe microscopy system at heart. It is designed to work on flat, or nearly-flat samples. Large dust particles or other types of obvious macroscopic contamination are a serious problem. Generally, the most aggressive surface precleaning possible is advised, starting from:
Not all of these will be possible with every sample! (Especially if there are structures or devices fabricated). Generally however, the cleaner the sample, the fewer frustrations will come later
A separate, but also important, guideline - know where you want to look. The ProteusQ is very good at generating high spatial resolution images, but is very bad for coarse, widefield imaging. The field of view on the optical camera is <100um x <100um. If being on a particular part of the sample is important, you should know where this is before you load the sample.