Related papers: Simultaneous current-, force- and work function me…
We demonstrate a simple method to significantly improve the sharpness of standard silicon probes for an atomic force microscope, or to repair a damaged probe. The method is based on creating and maintaining a strong, spatially localized…
A new method is introduced for calibrating lateral force as measured by an atomic force microscope (AFM), making use of both an interferometric detector and an optical beam detector on the same instrument. The method may be implemented…
The analysis of the electronic surface properties of transition metal oxides being key materials for future nanoelectronics requires a direct characterization of the conductivity with highest spatial resolution. Using local conductivity…
Measurements of the deflection induced by thermal noise have been performed on a rectangular atomic force microscope cantilever in air. The detection method, based on polarization interferometry, can achieve a resolution of 1E-14 m/rtHz in…
Recent atomic force microscopy (AFM) can measure force curves between a probe and a sample surface in solvent. The force curve is thought as the solvation structure in some cases, because its shape is generally oscilltive and pitch of the…
Direct time-varying tip-sample force measurements by torsional harmonic cantilevers facilitate detailed investigations of the cantilever dynamics in tapping-mode atomic force microscopy. Here we report experimental evidence that the…
A force measurement technique has been developed that utilizes a clamped fiber optic element both as a cantilever and as a highly sensitive probe of the static and dynamic displacement of a sample that is mounted near its free end. Light…
We report on the measurement of the Casimir force between conducting surfaces in a parallel configuration. The force is exerted between a silicon cantilever coated with chromium and a similar rigid surface and is detected looking at the…
The phantom force is an apparently repulsive force, which can dominate the atomic contrast of an AFM image when a tunneling current is present. We described this effect with a simple resistive model, in which the tunneling current causes a…
We demonstrate the measurement of laterally induced optical forces using an Atomic Force Microscope (AFM). The lateral electric field distribution between a gold coated AFM probe and a nano-aperture in a gold film is mapped by measuring the…
Atomic force microscopy is an important tool for characterizing surface acoustic waves, in particular for high frequencies, where the wavelength is too short to be resolved by laser interferometry. A caveat is, that the cantilever…
The reliable operation of micro and nanomechanical devices necessitates a thorough knowledge of the water film thickness present on the surfaces of these devices with an accuracy in the nm range. In this work, the thickness of an ultra-thin…
Various methods of force measurement with the Atomic Force Microscope (AFM) are compared for their ability to accurately determine the tip-surface force from analysis of the nonlinear cantilever motion. It is explained how intermodulation,…
We propose a new method to investigate interactions involved in atomic force microscopy (AFM). It is a dynamical method relying on the growth of oscillations via parametric resonance. With this method the second and third derivatives of the…
Atomic force microscopy (AFM) is a powerful tool to investigate interaction forces at the micro and nanoscale. Cantilever stiffness, dimensions and geometry of the tip can be chosen according to the requirements of the specific application,…
We describe a first principles method to calculate scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) images, and compare the results to well-characterized experiments combining STM with atomic force microscopy (AFM). The theory is based on density…
A method to precisely calibrate the oscillation amplitude in Dynamic Scanning Force Microscopy is described. It is experimentally shown that a typical electronics used to process the dynamic motion of the cantilever can be adjusted to…
The structure of single atoms in real space is investigated by scanning tunneling microscopy. Very high resolution is possible by a dramatic reduction of the tip-sample distance. The instabilities which are normally encountered when using…
Ambient operation poses a challenge to AFM because in contrast to operation in vacuum or liquid environments, the cantilever dynamics change dramatically from oscillating in air to oscillating in a hydration layer when probing the sample.…
Detection of dynamic surface displacements associated with local changes in material strain provides access to a number of phenomena and material properties. Contact resonance-enhanced methods of Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM) have been…