Calibration of magnetic force or scanning hall probe microscopes by measuring sample images and calculating instrument response functions

The method according to claim 9, comprising the step of calculating a tip calibration function qtip(k) according to the equation qtip (k)=IRF(k)/(LCFβ(k)*CC) with β=1 or β=2, where the lever canting function LCF describes the effects of a cantilever tilt with respect to the sample surface and the constant CC describes the mechanical properties of the cantilever.

A method for calibrating a magnetic force microscope (MFM) or a scanning Hall probe microscope (SHPM), wherein a raw MFM- oder SHPM-image S is measured by scanning a sample with a microscopic tip and an instrument response function IRF is determined for calibrating the MFM or SHPM, comprising the steps of

• a) determining, based on the raw MFM- or SHPM-image S, an approximate sample magnetization pattern M0 and there-from an approximate sample magnetic stray field distribution H0,
• b) calculating Fourier space distributions of the raw MFM-or SHPM-image S(k) and of the approximate sample magnetic stray field distribution H0(k) and
• c) calculating an instrument response function IRF(k)=S(k)/H0(k).

A method for calibrating a magnetic force microscope (MFM) or a scanning Hall probe microscope (SHPM), wherein a raw MFM- oder SHPM-image S is measured by scanning a sample with a microscopic tip and an instrument response function IRF is determined for calibrating the MFM or SHPM, comprising the steps of

• a) measuring a plurality of raw MFM- or SHPM-images Si(i=1 . . . n),
• b) determining first approximate sample magnetization patterns Mi,0 and first approximate sample magnetic stray field distributions Hi,0 and
• c) calculating from Si and Hi,0 first approximate instrument response functions IRFi,0 and averaging them to form an instrument response function IRF0.