Frequency modulation atomic force microscopy utilizes the change in resonant frequency of a cantilever to detect variations in the interaction force between cantilever tip and sample. While a simple relation exists enabling the frequency shift to be determined for a given force law, the required complementary inverse relation does not exist for arbitrary oscillation amplitudes of the cantilever...

Let’s examine briefly the actual workflow necessary to run an AFM experiment. A typical session starts with sample preparation and AFM mode selection. The latter sometimes dictating the former. Once the sample is ready, the AFM has to be set up (i.e., the sample has to be mounted, the scan mode selected, a tip inserted, and the detection system aligned). After that, the system has to be brought...

The phase angle of the cantilever oscillation in tapping mode scanning force microscopy can be related to the energy dissipated per oscillation period through an analytical model that assumes a sinusoidal movement of the cantilever @J. Tamayo and R. Garcı́a, Appl. Phys. Lett. 73, 2926 ~1998!; J. P. Cleveland, B. Anczykowski, E. Schmid, and V. Elings, Appl. Phys. Lett. 72, 2613 ~1998!#. In this w...

One major drawback identified in atomic force microscopy imaging is the dependence of the image’s precision on the shape of the probe tip. In this paper a simple algorithm is proposed to provide artifact identification signaling in-situ tip features in atomic force microscopy images. The base of the identifications lied when the angle formed between two scanned points was kept the same as the t...

Atomic Force Microscope and related techniques have played a key role in the development of the nanotechnology revolution that is taking place in science. This paper reviews the basic principles behind the technique and its different operation modes and applications, pointing out research works performed in the Nanometric Techniques Unit of the CCiTUB in order to exemplify the vast array of cap...

When two surfaces at two different temperatures are separated by a distance comparable to a mean-free path of the molecules of the ambient medium, the surfaces experience Knudsen force. This mechanical force can be important in microelectromechanical systems and in atomic force microscopy. A theoretical discussion of the magnitude of the forces and the conditions where they can be encountered i...