Problems in temperature control performing in situ investigations with the scanning force microscope

Up to now, various publications dealing with in situ scanning force microscopy without any temperature control have been published. In this paper it is demonstrated that the temperature increase in the sample chamber due to the use of a diode laser in the detection unit cannot be neglected. The effect was quantified as 3–4 K per hour in the non-thermostatted SFM cell and by the recirculation of thermostatted liquid limited to 0.6 k.