Implementation on a desktop computer of the real time feedback control loop of a scanning probe microscope

Area of Science:

• Instrumentation and Measurement
• Computational Physics
• Materials Science

Background:

• Scanning probe microscopy (SPM) requires sophisticated real-time feedback control for high-resolution imaging.
• Implementing advanced control loops on general-purpose hardware presents computational and timing challenges.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and present an open-source software package for real-time feedback control in SPM.
• To enable the use of modern, high-speed/multicore desktop computers for SPM experiments.
• To provide a flexible and extensible platform compatible with various data acquisition hardware.

Main Methods:

• Development of a software package integrating feedback loop control and experimental control on a single computer.
• Modular design allowing extension to different data acquisition board models.
• Performance testing of timing and hardware configurations across common SPM applications.

Main Results:

• Successful implementation of a real-time feedback control loop on a general-purpose desktop computer.
• Demonstrated compatibility with multiple data acquisition boards and modular extensibility.
• Validated timing performance across diverse hardware setups and SPM tasks.

Conclusions:

• The developed software package provides an accessible and efficient solution for real-time SPM control.
• Leveraging multicore desktop computers significantly enhances the feasibility of advanced SPM experiments.
• The open-source nature promotes wider adoption and further development within the SPM community.