We present ab initio simulations of AFM image formation in the non-contact regime for prototypical reactive semiconductor and metal surfaces: InP(1 1 0)-1 1 and Cu(0 0 1). For the reactive surface the effect of tip morphology of the tip apex was also studied. The nature of the tip apex alters the local tip reactivity and can lead to reversal of the apparent AFM surface corrugation. We find that...

An approach to image the domains and domain walls of small ferromagnetic entities using atomic force microscopy ~AFM!, with a nonmagnetic AFM probe, has been developed. Exciting the sample in an external ac magnetic field, the distribution of magnetostrictive response at the surface is detected. By this technique, the domains and domain walls of submicron Co dots have been imaged with a 1 nm la...

We have constructed an atomic force microscope enabling one to image the topography of a sample, and to monitor simultaneously ultrasonic surface vibrations in the MHz range. For detection of the distribution of the ultrasonic vibration amplitude, a part of the position-sensing light beam reflected from the cantilever is directed to an external knife-edge detector. Acoustic images taken on the ...

AFM allows the visualization of biological samples under physiological solution conditions, at high spatial resolution. However, captured images are limited to snapshots because it takes at least 30 seconds to capture an image, whereas biological phenomena are highly dynamic. To overcome this limitation, my group has developed high-speed AFM. The dynamic processes and structural dynamics of pro...

In this study AFM technique has been used to observe the degradation of cellulose fibres in paper samples used as substrata for the growth of a filamentous fungus known to be responsible for damage to art works made from or supported on paper. Images obtained from the analysis of artificially deteriorated samples have been used for comparison with topographies obtained by AFM from naturally aff...

The recently developed AFM local anodic oxidation (LAO) technique offers a convenient way of patterning nanodevices, but imposes even more stringent requirements on the underlying quantum well structure. We developed a new very shallow quantum well design which allows the depth and density of the 2D gas to be independently controlled during the growth. A high mobility (0.5×106 cm2 V−1 s−1 at 4....

Confocal fluorescence microscopy and atomic force microscopy (AFM) are two established techniques that can be used to study single molecules. Both techniques have their individual capabilities that permit to study different aspects such as topography using AFMs, or dynamics using fluorescence spectroscopy. Thus, a combination of both techniques into a single instrument enhances the methodology ...

This article reviews the progress of atomic force microscopy in ultrahigh vacuum, starting with its invention and covering most of the recent developments. Today, dynamic force microscopy allows us to image surfaces of conductors and insulators in vacuum with atomic resolution. The most widely used technique for atomic-resolution force microscopy in vacuum is frequency-modulation atomic force m...