User`s guide

Preparing for Imaging 4
Agilent 5500 SPM User’s Guide 72
Aligning the Laser
The next step is to ensure that the scanner’s laser spot is aligned to
reflect off of the cantilever. Several methods can be used to do so. One
method is to place a white card or piece of paper under the scanner to
make the laser spot visible. By moving the laser you can then align it on
the probe—when this happens the probe will block the laser spot, and
the spot will no longer be visible on the paper.
1 Place a white piece of paper or business card on the table below the
microscope. If using a 980 nm IR scanner, use an IR sensor card in
place of a business card (see Figure 53). The operational range of the
sensor card is 700 nm to 1400 nm.
2 Turn on the Head Electronics Box, which will activate the laser. You
should be able to see the red laser spot on the paper (Figure 46).
Figure 46 Aligning laser spot over white paper.
The laser alignment knobs are located on the top of the scanner
(Figure 47). The front-to-back knob moves the laser spot toward the