Measurement Sensitivity Improvement in Tapping-Mode Atomic Force Microscopy Through Bi-Harmonic Drive Signal

Editor(s)

Macrander, Albert T.

Abstract

This article presents a novel method to improve the measurement sensitivity and reduce impact forces in tapping-mode atomic force microscopy by reshaping the tip trajectory. A tapping drive signal composed of two harmonics is used to generate an oscillating trajectory with a broader valley compared to the typical sinusoidal trajectory. The wide broad valley reduces the velocity of the tip in the vicinity of the sample and allots a greater portion of each period in the vicinity of the sample. Numerical simulations show that this results in decreased impact force and increased sensitivity of the cantilever oscillation to changes in tip-sample offset. Experimental results demonstrate an increase in image sharpness and decrease in tip wear using the bi-harmonic driving signal.

Department(s)

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering

Keywords and Phrases

Atomic Force Microscopy; Signal Generators; Silicon; Atomic Force Microscopes; Image Analysis; Materials Properties; Scanning Probe Microscopes; Image Sensors; Instability Analysis; Second Harmonic Generation

International Standard Serial Number (ISSN)

0034-6748

Document Type

Article - Journal

Document Version

Citation

File Type

text

Language(s)

English

Rights

© 2011 American Institute of Physics (AIP), All rights reserved.

Publication Date

01 Jan 2011

Link to Full Text

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