Low- and high-frequency vibration isolation for scanning probe microscopy

A study of the vibration isolation system in scanning probe microscopes (SPMs) to reduce external noises in a wide range of frequencies is presented. For the low-frequency isolation case, a pneumatic system based on a cylindrical plastic tube with an elastic membrane for damping is studied. The theoretical model and the experimental results obtained from it to isolate noises above 2 Hz are discussed. For the high-frequency isolation, a design based on stacked metallic sheets, with cylindrical elastomers (viton) between them, is simulated. The effect of the elastomer geometry when it is used in a real case by means of the transfer function of the vibration system is discussed. From the results, we are able to predict and optimize the performance of SPMs with regard to noise isolation.