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Published on: October 24, 2014
Probing three-dimensional surface force fields with atomic resolution: Measurement strategies, limitations, and
Mehmet Z Baykara1, Omur E Dagdeviren, Todd C Schwendemann
1Department of Mechanical Engineering and Materials Science, Yale University, New Haven, CT 06520, USA ; Center for Research on Interface Structures and Phenomena (CRISP), Yale University, New Haven, CT 06520, USA ; Department of Mechanical Engineering, Bilkent University, Ankara 06800, Turkey.
Noncontact atomic force microscopy (NC-AFM) measures surface forces with high accuracy. Understanding probe tip artifacts is crucial for reliable atomic-scale surface analysis.
Area of Science:
- Surface science
- Nanotechnology
- Atomic force microscopy
Background:
- Noncontact atomic force microscopy (NC-AFM) offers precise measurement of tip-surface interaction forces.
- Image interpretation in NC-AFM can be complicated by factors like piezo nonlinearities, drift, and tip asymmetry.
- Accurate atomic-scale surface characterization necessitates addressing these potential artifacts.
Purpose of the Study:
- To analyze the impact of probe tip artifacts on NC-AFM data.
- To compare methods for recording atomic-resolution surface force fields.
- To identify NC-AFM approaches least affected by artifacts.
Main Methods:
- Analysis of data acquired through noncontact atomic force microscopy.
- Comparison of various techniques for obtaining atomic-resolution surface force fields.
- Evaluation of artifact impact on measurement accuracy.
Main Results:
- Piezo nonlinearities, thermal/electronic drift, tip asymmetries, and tip deformation significantly affect NC-AFM results.
- Different methods for recording surface force fields exhibit varying susceptibility to artifacts.
- Minimizing tip-related artifacts is essential for accurate surface property extraction.
Conclusions:
- NC-AFM force fields inherently contain information about both the sample and the probe tip.
- Reducing unwanted tip effects is indispensable for extracting detailed atomic-scale surface information.
- Careful consideration and mitigation of artifacts are key to advancing NC-AFM applications.
