A simple method for preparing calibration standards for the three working axes of scanning probe microscope piezo scanners

A method for preparing samples suitable for calibrating scanning probe microscopes (SPM) and for eliminating any distortions in images is described. Samples consist of polystyrene particles organized in monolayers and bilayers with hexagonal‐ordered domains. The monolayer is not uniform, but is characterized by areas without particles. These discontinuities allow the measurement of the thickness of the monolayer in order to calibrate the z axes, while the lattice constant of the domains can be used as a calibration standard for the x and y axes. The nondeformability of the particles after the deposition on the substrate has been studied by an optical microscope, equipped for interferometric measurements, scanning force microscopy, and scanning tunneling microscopy. The use of these standards directly as substrates for samples is proposed to correct the distortions in the SPM images.