An automated glitch-detection/restoration method of atomic force microscope images is proposed and implemented. Contrary to other manual methods, our method is based on the probability distribution of the derivative of the scanned image data. The glitches are identified as the points that deviate from a normal probability density function. The essence of the automation is calculating the distribution of the scanned image and removing the points that deviate from the normal distribution. Quantitative analysis of the original and the restored image have been performed and the degree of deformation of the restored images has also been analyzed. This technique can directly be applied to other types of scanning probe microscope equipments.

1.
G.
Binnig
,
H.
Rohrer
,
CH.
Gerber
, and
E.
Weibel
,
Phys. Rev. Lett.
49
,
57
(
1982
).
2.
Roland Wiesendanger, Scanning Probe Microscopy and Spectroscopy (Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, 1994).
3.
P. K.
Hansma
,
J. P.
Cleaveland
,
M.
Radmacher
,
D. A.
Walters
,
P. E.
Hillner
,
M.
Bezanilla
,
M.
Fritz
,
D.
Vie
,
H. G.
Hansma
,
C. B.
Frater
,
J.
Massie
,
L.
Fukunaga
,
J.
Gurley
, and
V.
Elings
,
Appl. Phys. Lett.
66
,
1738
(
1994
).
4.
H.
Muramatsu
,
N.
Chiba
,
K.
Homma
,
K.
Nakajima
,
T.
Ataka
,
S.
Ohta
,
A.
Kusumi
, and
M.
Fujihira
,
Appl. Phys. Lett.
66
,
3245
(
1995
).
5.
V. Yu.
Yurov
and
A. N.
Klimov
,
Rev. Sci. Instrum.
65
,
1551
(
1994
).
6.
G. S. Pingali and R. Jain, Proceedings of the Instrumentation and Measurement Technology Conference, May 1993, p. 327.
7.
R. C.
Barrett
and
C. F.
Quate
,
Rev. Sci. Instrum.
62
,
1393
(
1991
).
8.
G. A. G.
Cidade
,
G.
Weissmuller
, and
P. M.
Bisch
,
Rev. Sci. Instrum.
69
,
3593
(
1998
).
9.
P.
Markiewicz
and
M. C.
Goh
,
Rev. Sci. Instrum.
66
,
3186
(
1995
).
10.
S. I. Park, Proceedings of the 1st Korea–U.S.–Japan Workshop on Nanostructure Science and Technology, 2-2.
11.
T. H. Yu and S. K. Mitra, Proceedings of the International Symposium on Speech, Image Processing and Neural Networks, 1994, p. 784.
12.
Autoprobe CP, Park Scientific Instruments.
13.
S. F.
Yoon
,
T. K.
Ng
, and
H. Q.
Zheng
,
Mater. Sci. Semicond. Process.
3
,
207
(
2000
).
14.
S. K.
Jung
,
C. K.
Hyon
,
J. H.
Park
,
S. W.
Hwang
,
D.
Ahn
,
M. H.
Son
,
B. D.
Min
,
Yong
Kim
, and
E. K.
Kim
,
Appl. Phys. Lett.
75
,
1167
(
1999
).
This content is only available via PDF.
You do not currently have access to this content.