NSFopen

Open and analyze Nanosurf NID and NHF files in Python: images, force spectroscopy and WaveMode NMA.

What's new in 2.3.0

Compared to 2.2.4, the previous version on PyPI:

• Works by itself: the nanosurf and scikit-learn packages are no longer needed.
• NHF spectroscopy and WaveMode NMA: files of any size open immediately, and curves are read when asked for.
• Image analysis from the Nanosurf Surface Analyzer: leveling, filters, masks, ISO statistics, line cuts, step heights, critical dimension, PSD fits, lattice and grains.
• Better figures: units and labels from the file, subplots with ax=, a new 3D plot, and plots of the analysis results.
• Examples rewritten, with several bugs fixed. The Spring_Constant result changes from 14.5 to 24.0 N/m, because the old fit used the wrong formula.

Some defaults changed, which can affect existing scripts:

• NHF force curves [row, col] now give the true grid position.
• image and hist choose their unit from the channel; scale=1e9 still forces nm.
• image shows a color bar unless colorbar=False.
• remove_outliers gives different numbers and no longer takes neighbors.

CHANGELOG.md, in the source distribution, has the full list.

Installing

From PyPi

pip install NSFopen

Needs numpy, scipy, pandas, h5py and matplotlib 3.6 or newer. Examples are in the example folder; NSFopen_help shows where. Each is a notebook with its .py and .html, to run from its own folder:

Reading files

from NSFopen.read import read

afm = read('filename.nid')  # or .nhf
afm.data['Image']['Forward']['Z-Axis']  # an image, in SI units
afm.param                               # parameters of the file
afm.units[('Image', 'Forward', 'Z-Axis')]

Row 0 of an image is the first line scanned, which is the bottom of the picture for an upward scan.

Spectroscopy (.nhf)

Files of any size open immediately: curves are read when you ask for them.

afm = read('grid.nhf')
afm.spec.segments, afm.spec.shape, afm.spec.n_points

deflection = afm.spec['Retract 1']['Deflection']
deflection[10]        # 11th curve in acquisition order
deflection[2, 3]      # curve at row 2, column 3 of the grid, row 0 at the bottom
deflection.to('m')[2, 3]   # in another unit, if the file holds its calibration
deflection.curves()   # all curves, which may differ in length
deflection.array()    # all curves as (rows, columns, samples), padded with NaN

z, force = afm.spec.force_curve('Retract 1', (2, 3))
afm.close()

afm.data['Spec']['Retract 1']['Deflection'] is the same object.

WaveMode NMA (.nhf)

The scalar channels are in afm.data as for any image, the per-pixel curves in afm.nma.

afm = read('nma.nhf')
curve = afm.nma.curve((100, 200), scan='Forward')  # row, column
curve.z, curve.interaction, curve.force
z_advance, force_advance = curve.advance
z_retract, force_retract = curve.retract

adhesion = afm.nma.map()  # most negative interaction of every pixel, in V
stiff = afm.nma.map(lambda block: block.max(axis=1), scan='Backward')  # any function of (pixels, samples)

Processing images

from NSFopen.process import process

afm = process('filename.nhf')
afm.level_flatten()                     # align the lines, then subtract a plane
afm.mask_otsu()                         # two-level image: mask the upper level
afm.flatten(fit_on='exclude')           # level the lines on what is not masked

afm.statistics(region='unmasked')       # Sa, Sq, Ssk, Sku, Sdq, Sdr, Sal, Str, ... with units
grains = afm.grains(split='height')     # one row per grain in grains.table
profile = afm.line_profile((0, 1e-6), (2e-6, 1e-6), width=5)   # end points in m
afm.step_heights(profile).steps
afm.critical_dimension(profile).features
afm.profile_roughness(profile).params   # ISO 21920
afm.psd_fit().summary()                 # corner, power law, noise floor, resolution
afm.lattice().summary()

afm.image(show_mask=True)
afm.hist()
afm.plot3d()                            # 3D, colored by height
afm.plot3d(material='Gold', tilt=60)    # 3D, a material under a light
afm.plot3d(color='Phase')               # 3D, colored by another channel

afm.array() gives a channel as an array and afm.set_channel(values, channel='Name', unit='m') stores your own array as a channel, for all the functions below.

All processing works on one channel, by default direction='Forward' and the height, which files call Z-Axis or Topography; afm.channels lists them all. It changes the channel unless inplace=False, when the new array is returned instead.

help(process.level_rolling_ball) explains a method and its parameters; process.operations() lists the operations with their defaults.

Figures

image, hist, thumb and plot3d take a channel and return a matplotlib figure, with the unit (nm, mV, ...) and labels from the file.

fig = afm.image(channel='Phase', color_range='p1', cmap='viridis')   # color range: 'full', 'p1' (1-99 %) or (low, high)
fig.savefig('phase.png')

afm.image(scalebar=True, title=None, figsize=(4, 4), dpi=600, theme='dark')

import matplotlib.pyplot as plt
fig, axes = plt.subplots(1, 3, figsize=(12, 4), layout='constrained')
afm.image(ax=axes[0])
afm.hist(ax=axes[1])
afm.plot3d(material='Gold', ax=axes[2])

Results of the analysis have their plots too, with the same options:

profile = afm.line_profile((0, 1e-6), (2e-6, 1e-6), width=5)
afm.image(profile=profile)              # where the line is
afm.plot_profile(profile, steps=afm.step_heights(profile))   # or cd=afm.critical_dimension(profile)
afm.plot_psd()                          # with a fit; fit=None for the data alone
afm.plot_histogram_fit(model='gauss2')
afm.plot_bearing()
afm.plot_acf()

Color maps

from NSFopen.process import colors
afm.image(cmap='Gold')           # by name
afm.image(cmap=colors('Gold').cmap)

The Gwyddion gradients are included with the package.