STM Analyzer

Describe

This app is dedicated to scintists of nanotechnology whom work relies on STM. App works with .SM4 files. It offers showing data about spectra measurements, splitting them into points where measurement has done, visualizing bias-current characteristic and its 1st derivative, choosing curves to display, smoothing them with Savitzky-Golay filter, adding curves and saving images. App also draws topography of scanned probe, including thermal drift finds optimal shift of forward and backward topography and draws mean topography.

How to run project:

1. Install Python 3.11.4 (https://www.python.org/downloads/release/python-3114/). VERY IMPORTANT!!! AT THE BEGINNING OF INSTALATION SELECT CHECKBOX "Add python.exe to PATH".

2. Open command prompt and type python --version, if You'll see Python 3.11.4 that means the installation has passed correctly, if not - reinstall Python.

3. Install Visual++ Redistributable (https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/cpp/windows/latest-supported-vc-redist?view=msvc-170).

4. Type cd and paste path to the application.

5. Type command: pip install -r requirements.txt.

6. Type python main.py.

How to use project:

1. At the begining You can see a small window that will ask You to choose a file to open:

2. After You choose a file small window displays informations about a measurement. Also another big window will open itself.

3. In the left top corner You can see File tab. Here You can choose new file to analyze and open a large window again if You accidently closed it.

4. In the bigger window there are three tabs: Dataset, Plots and Topography. In Dataset tab You can check values of each measurement round. As You can see this tab is splitted into Current and dI/dU tabs. Current shows bias-current characteristics, dI/dU shows their 1st derivative. App also splits this set into tabs which represent every point where spectra measurement has done. Subtab Stats contains mean values for every curve in every direction in every point (mean_forward/backward_pi), mean for each point (mean_pi) and mean of whole measurement in every direction (mean_forward/backward). There is also X columns which represents bias [V].

5. Next there is a Plots tab. Here You can see plots of bias-current characteristics and their 1st derivative. Every curve represent mean_pi column from Dataset tab.

6. On a right side You can see toolbar panel. At the top You can pick curves which You want to display. Under every checkbox there is a square whose color is representative to color of curve. Furthermore there are two entry fields which You can fill with a values. They are represending left and right borders on plots. Below there is a slider which alows to smooth curves. It is possible thanks to the Savitzky-Golay filter. After the changes You should Refresh button to see changes on plot.

7. There are two more buttons: Add curves and Save plot. When You click the first one another window will open itself. You can see list of curves that You can add to themself. To do that select curves from the left list and click button that imitates right side arrow. If You made a mistake You can pick from the right side and move out this curve by using left side arrow.

Hint: You can add a few curves at once by holding left Ctrl and clicking curves.

After click Ok button You'll get a mean plot of these curves.

8. Save plot button just saving plot as *.png - You can pick a filename and path to save plot.

9. Another tab Topography displays the topography and spectra map of the probe in forward and backward direction. Then including thermal shift app is finding optimal shift of both images (up to 10px). It is realized by summing absolute values of subtraction forward z value with backward z value. Then results for every steps are saved in array and returning index of minimum value -10 (because starting from -10px).

10. You should't be worried if You haven't done spectra measurements - app would work otherwise.