Scanning probe microscopy and related methods
Since the invention of scanning tunnelling microscopy and atomic force microscopy a new class of local probe microscopes has entered the laboratories around the world. Scanning probe microscopy (SPM) uses probing tips to map properties, such as topography, local adhesive forces, elasticity, friction or magnetic properties. In the emerging fields of nanoscience and nanotechnology these types of microscopes help to characterize the nanoworld. In addition, local probes can also be used to modify the surfaces and to perform lithography processes. An important aspect of SPM is the possibility to modify surfaces. The probing tip can be either used to push or pull atoms, molecules or particles across surfaces. These experiments give information about the local bonding and to explore friction and wear mechanisms.
- Full Research Paper
- Published 22 Dec 2010
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Figure 1: (a) A sharp nanotip follows a raster scan pattern with consecutive scan lines separated by a distan...
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Figure 2: Angle of motion θ of a nanosphere (solid curve) and a nanowire (dashed curve) as a function of the ...
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Figure 3: Angle of motion θ of 2k-branched symmetric islands as a function of the distance b between consecu...
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Figure 4: Angular velocity of the islands as a function of b. k = 2 (squares), k = 3 (circles) and k = 4 (tri...
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- Full Research Paper
- Published 22 Dec 2010
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Figure 1: Schematic top view of the MEMS tribometer for studying microscale friction [19]. Several slider types h...
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Figure 2: Typical 1000-cycle-average friction loops obtained with the tribometer of Figure 1 [19], at 27 °C and a relativ...
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Figure 3: Determination of the average friction force. The area enclosed by the dashed lines provides the bes...
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Figure 4: The average friction force (determined as depicted in Figure 3) as a function of the normal load is more or...
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Figure 5: The counter-surface is held by two small beams. After the experiments, the beams can be broken and ...
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Figure 6: Autocorrelation function Rxx(x) of a pristine sidewall surface measured with AFM, and theoretical e...
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Figure 7: Examples of curves simulated with the stochastic Prandtl–Tomlinson model for two realizations of th...
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Figure 8: Modulation of the normal force at a frequency much higher than the frequency of the stick-slip even...
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Figure 9: The major features of the experiment shown in Figure 8, including the amplitude reduction and the visibilit...
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Figure 10: Calculated and measured friction reduction as a function of vibration amplitude (frequency held con...
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- Full Research Paper
- Published 22 Dec 2010
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Figure 1: Block diagram of the optical beam detection system. A typical power spectral density spectrum of th...
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Figure 2: Results from the Fourier transform method, adapted from [9]. a) Power spectral density of the thermal ...
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Figure 3: Comparison between the Fourier transform and the wavelet transform analysis. a) The time signal, a ...
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Figure 4: a) Complex Gabor wavelet with different shaping factors. An increase of GS corresponds to more osci...
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Figure 5: Continuous wavelet transform of a delta-like signal in time and a delta-like signal in frequency, a...
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Figure 6: a) Power spectral density of the Brownian motion of the first flexural mode of the same temporal tr...
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Figure 7: Wavelet transform of the cantilever thermal fluctuations around its instantaneous equilibrium posit...
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Figure 8: Force gradient versus tip-sample distance for the first flexural mode near the jump-to-contact. The...
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- Review
- Published 03 Jan 2011
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Figure 1: Model of a binary oxide surface. Point defects such as color centers, which are preferably situated...
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Figure 2: Experimental setup. a) Schematic of an Eigler-style bath cryostat. b) The walker unit is situated o...
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Figure 3: The same tip senses both signals. (a–d) Pairs of simultaneously recorded signal curves from the fre...
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Figure 4: Energetic levels. a) The Fermi levels of tip and sample when they are not electrically connected. b...
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Figure 5: Magnesium oxide surface. a) Atomically resolved image recorded by NC-AFM. The position I and II ind...
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Figure 6: Spectroscopy on point defects. a) NC-AFM image of 21 nm × 9 nm measured at a frequency shift of Δf ...
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Figure 7: Dependence on tip-sample distance. Constant height line-scans across an F0 defect situated at a ste...
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Figure 8: Dependence on tip-sample distance. a) Shift of the resonance frequency of a Pt0.9Ir0.1 tip on a reg...
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Figure 9: Color centers on MgO. The left labeling assigns numbers to the defect types. The left graph shows t...
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Figure 10: Atomic resolution NC-AFM image of a straight antiphase domain boundary (type I) in the aluminum oxi...
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Figure 11: Height profiles. a) Cutout from Figure 10. White lines indicate positions where line profiles have been taken ...
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Figure 12: Spectroscopy on aluminum oxide. a) STM image of a thin film of aluminum oxide on NiAl(110), 18 nm × ...
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- Full Research Paper
- Published 06 Jan 2011
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Figure 1: Sketch illustrating implementation of Kelvin force microscopy in the AM–FM mode. Two servo-loops, w...
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Figure 2: A – Graph showing a temporal change of amplitude and phase of the AFM probe on approach to a sample...
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Figure 3: Topography and surface potential images of F14H20 self-assemblies on Si substrate. The images in A ...
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Figure 4: Topography, surface potential and dC/dZ images and cross-section plots obtained on a domain of F14H...
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Figure 5: Topography and surface potential images recorded on two Bi/Sn samples. The images in A were obtaine...
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Figure 6: Topography and surface potential images of the films of a latex blend of poly(n-butyl acrylate) and...
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Figure 7: Topography and surface potential images, which were recorded at the scratch location in PS films of...
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Figure 8: Topography and surface potential images of films of PS/PMMA blends on a Si substrate. The images in ...
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Figure 9: Topography, phase, surface potential and dC/dZ images of an 80 nm thick film of PVAC/PS blend on IT...
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Figure 10: Topography, surface potential and dC/dZ (amplitude and phase) images of 80 nm thick film of PVAC/PS...
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- Full Research Paper
- Published 13 Jan 2011
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Figure 1: (a) Topographical measurement of molecular structures at KBr step edges showing monowires (1), unor...
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Figure 2: (a) Topography of cyano-porphyrin molecular wires on a NaCl single crystal surface. In contrast to ...
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Figure 3: nc-AFM measurements of molecular assemblies grown on an ultrathin KBr layer on Cu(111). (a) 100 × 1...
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Figure 4: Chemical structure of the meso-(4-cyanophenyl)-substituted Zn(II) porphyrin investigated in this st...
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- Full Research Paper
- Published 27 Jan 2011
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Figure 1: Metal–insulator transition (MIT) temperatures of the investigated Magnéli-type vanadium oxide cryst...
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Figure 2: Contact mode AFM topograph of the V4O7 crystal cleavage plane. Scanning size: 25 × 25 µm2, z-range ...
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Figure 3: Typical force (F) vs distance (x) curves obtained on V4O7 for single measurements of a spherical Ti...
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Figure 4: Statistical analysis of the adhesion forces acquired at the V4O7 cleavage plane at (a, b) 120 K and...
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Figure 5: Summary of the mean values of the adhesion forces for all investigated Magnéli phases above and bel...
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Figure 6: SEM images of a Ti microsphere (diameter 7.2 µm) attached at the free end of a single beam tipless ...
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- Full Research Paper
- Published 04 Feb 2011
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Figure 1: Evolution of the logarithm of the dissipated power normalized by the radius (R) as a function of (a...
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Scheme 1: Scheme presenting the different forces during tip–particle and particle–substrate interactions, and...
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Figure 2: Typical trajectories of bare gold nanoparticles (20 nm diameter) on a silicon substrate when the pr...
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Figure 3: Typical scan patterns used in AFM: (a) raster scan path used by Nanosurf (b) zigzag scan path used ...
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Figure 4: AFM images of nanocluster movement during their manipulation (a) gold nanorods deposited onto silic...
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Figure 5: (a) Average power dissipation accompanying the onset of motion of as-synthesized and coated nanopar...
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Figure 6: AFM images of 25 nm diameter gold nanoparticles deposited onto a silicon wafer. (a) Ordered organiz...
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Scheme 2: Formation of two capillary water bridges between hydrophilic tip and particle, and particle and sur...
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Scheme 3: Formation of two water layer films between hydrophilic tip–hydrophobic particle, and hydrophobic pa...
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Figure 7: As-synthesized Au particles on silicon in ultra-high vacuum. Frame size: 3 µm.
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Figure 8: AFM image of nanopatterned surface exhibiting Si pits: Frame size: 3 µm.
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Figure 9: Manipulation of as-synthesized Au nanoparticles on (a) a flat silicon wafer with a spacing of 9.7 n...
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Figure 10: Logarithm of the dissipated power in moving as-synthesized NPs on silicon wafer versus the tip scan...
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Figure 11: 400 nm × 400 nm TEM image of 25 nm diameter gold nanoparticles.
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- Full Research Paper
- Published 18 May 2011
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Figure 1: (a) Geometrical model of a tip, with cone length l, half-aperture angle θ0, spherical apex radius R...
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Figure 2: One dimensional PSF calculated for two different probe–sample distances with and without the cantil...
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Figure 3: Left axis: Relative magnitude of the homogeneous force distribution on different fractions of the p...
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Figure 4: Line section (vertical line at inset figure) for KPFM simulation with different cantilever geometri...
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Figure 5: Line section of UHV KPFM (i) measurements [20], (ii) simulated, and (iii) theoretical potential distrib...
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Figure 6: Beam deflection influence on PSF. The dashed line represents the PSF of a deflected beam while the ...
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Figure 7: Second harmonic deflection relative to the cantilever at its rest position. The free edge deflectio...
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Figure 8: Second harmonic weighting influence on the PSF. Dashed lines: PSF calculated with the second harmon...
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- Full Research Paper
- Published 07 Sep 2011
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Figure 1: (a) Topography and (b) frequency shift images corresponding to the Co wires; (d) topography and (e)...
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Figure 2: (a) Topography of the Co wire. The dashed line corresponds to continuous scanning along the profile...
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Figure 3: Topography of (a) Co nanowires and (e) L-shaped Co nanostructure. (b) and (f) frequency shift image...
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Figure 4: (a) Sketch of the different feedback loops used to perform MFM measurements with PLL system activat...
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Supp. Info
- Full Research Paper
- Published 04 Oct 2011
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Figure 1: Schematic diagram of a gold electrode with a passivation layer, in an electrolyte containing Cu2+ i...
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Figure 2: Sequential writing and passivation of Cu nanostructures. Top: AFM image of sequentially written, un...
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Figure 3: In situ AFM image demonstrating the selectivity of the tip-induced electrochemical copper depositio...
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