A single-passage, bimodal magnetic force microscopy technique optimized for scanning samples with arbitrary topography is discussed. A double phase-locked loop (PLL) system is used to mechanically excite a high quality factor cantilever under vacuum conditions on its first mode and via an oscillatory tip-sample potential on its second mode. The obtained second mode oscillation amplitude is then used as a proxy for the tip-sample distance, and for the control thereof. With appropriate z-feedback parameters two data sets reflecting the magnetic tip-sample interaction and the sample topography are simultaneously obtained.
@article{arxiv.1506.07349,
title = {Bimodal Magnetic Force Microscopy with Capacitive Tip-Sample Distance Control},
author = {Johannes Schwenk and Xue Zhao and Mirko Baćani and Miguel A. Marioni and Sara Romer and Hans J. Hug},
journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:1506.07349},
year = {2015}
}