A real-time software simulator for scanning force microscopy

TL;DR

This paper presents a real-time software simulator for scanning force microscopy that runs on open-source Linux, enabling testing of control software and models with realistic hardware response.

Contribution

It introduces a real-time Linux-based simulator for scanning probe microscopes, including implementations for AFM and electrostatic microscopes, facilitating hardware and software testing.

Findings

Successfully simulates AFM and electrostatic microscopes

Produces representative images demonstrating simulation capabilities

Enables testing of control software in a realistic environment

Abstract

We describe software that simulates the hardware of a scanning force microscope. The essential feature of the software is its real-time response, which is critical for mimicking the behavior of real scanning probe hardware. The simulator runs on an open-source real time Linux kernel, and can be used to test scanning probe microscope control software as well as theoretical models of different types of scanning probe microscopes. We describe the implementation of a tuning-fork based atomic force microscope and a dc electrostatic force microscope, and present representative images obtained from these models.