We report the development of a scanning force microscope based on an ultra-sensitive silicon nitride membrane transducer. Our development is made possible by inverting the standard microscope geometry - in our instrument, the substrate is vibrating and the scanning tip is at rest. We present first topography images of samples placed on the membrane surface. Our measurements demonstrate that the membrane retains an excellent force sensitivity when loaded with samples and in the presence of a scanning tip. We discuss the prospects and limitations of our instrument as a quantum-limited force sensor and imaging tool.
@article{arxiv.2006.06238,
title = {Membrane-based scanning force microscopy},
author = {David Hälg and Thomas Gisler and Yeghishe Tsaturyan and Letizia Catalini and Urs Grob and Marc-Dominik Krass and Martin Héritier and Hinrich Mattiat and Ann-Katrin Thamm and Romana Schirhagl and Eric C. Langman and Albert Schliesser and Christian L. Degen and Alexander Eichler},
journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:2006.06238},
year = {2021}
}