Tip Geometry E ects in Surface Characterization with Amplitude Modulation AFM

In the present work, characterization of the surface trenches and vacancies with Amplitude Modulation AFM (AM-AFM) using Molecular Dynamics (MD) is simulated and the e ects of the tip shape on the resulting images are investigated. The simulated system includes a recently developed gold coated AFM probe which interacts with a sample including a surface trench or a single-atom vacancy. In order to examine the behavior of the above system, including di erent transition metals, a Molecular Dynamics (MD) simulation with Sutton-Chen (SC) interatomic potential is used. Special attention is dedicated to the study of tip geometry e ects such as the tip apex radius, the tip cone angle, the probe tilt angle, the tip apex atoms number, and the tip axis direction with respect to the FCC lattice structure on the resulting