The nano-TA is an accessory (comprising hardware, software and probes) that enables a number of commercially available AFMs to perform sub-100nm local thermal analysis. Our breakthrough, batch fabricated, high resolution thermal probes enable the user to visualize the sample area at a typical resolution of better than 30 nm, identify the regions of interest and then position the probe using the AFM to subject the region in contact with the probe to a thermal ramp. The heating of the probe is due to a high resistance region incorporated into a traditional silicon probe allowing rapid, controllable heating up to ~500º C by controlling the voltage applied to the probe using the nano-TA electronics. During the ramp, the operator can monitor, using the included software, two of a range of signals available including the deflection of the cantilever, the resistance of the thermal probe or the power applied to the thermal probe. The deflection of the cantilever gives an indication of both thermal expansion of the sample and sample softening which can be a measure of phase transitions such as the glass transition temperature or the melting temperature. The local heating means the system is ideally suited to make measurements of thin films, polymer blends and nanocomposites in the polymer market. In the pharmaceutical market the system can be used to study spatial mapping of crystallinity, identification of amorphous / crystalline regions in a semi-crystalline sample, mapping of polymorphs, identification of components in compressed tablets and analysis of tablet coatings. Also, local heating allows a number of measurements to be performed on each sample because the probe is only affecting a very local region allowing characterization of the uniformity of the sample.

The VESTA system is a new stand-alone product where localized TA measurements can be made without being hooked up to an AFM system. A motorized X-Y sample stage provides highly accurate motion control and the sample volumes are nanoscale, using the same tips and the original nano-TA system.