Counter-scanning

Counter-scanning (CS) is a method intended for measuring surface topography on a scanning probe microscope, which permits us to correct raster distortions arising as a result of drift of the microscope probe relative to the surface. Two surface scans — direct and counter are obtained in the course of CS. The counter scan starts in the point where the direct scan ends. The given point is called the coincidence point (CP). In the counter scan the probe movement along a raster line and the probe movement from one raster line to other raster line are carried out along the directions that are opposite to the movements in the direct scan. The obtained pair of images is called counter-scanned images (CSIs).