Veeco’s high-performance Innova features a small footprint — and pricetag. (Photo: Veeco)

June 20, 2007 — Veeco Instruments Inc. (Woodbury, NY), provider of atomic force microscopes (AFMs) for research, has released its new Innova Scanning Probe Microscope (SPM) for physical, materials, and life science applications.

According David V. Rossi, Vice President, Veeco’s Nano-Bio AFM business, the unit’s resolution “is equal to that of AFM systems that cost many thousands more, and its full range of SPM modes brings high-quality research capability to a wide variety of applications.”

The compact Innova features low-noise, closed-loop scanning and high-resolution, top-down optics, and easy tip exchange.

“With noise levels approaching those of open-loop operation and the ability to activate and deactivate closed-loop scan linearization on-the-fly, Veeco’s Innova SPM can achieve atomic resolution on any portion of a full-size scan without moving the probe off the sample surface,” says James Nelson, Ph.D., Veeco’s Director of Product Management.

The Innova’s patented top-down optics promise better than 1-micron resolution and precise probe positioning on the sample. The optics are completely contained within the protective instrument cover, allowing the probe and sample to be viewed at any time while still isolating optical and electrical components from the environment. The open design of the sample stage also enables flexibility. Innova’s new SPMlab-V 7.0 software incorporates real-time signal diagnostics and processing options and offers direct and intuitive access to scan and feedback parameters.

For a limited time, the instrument also comes complete with NanoPlot, Veeco’s new nanolithography and nanomanipulation software package.