High-speed large area atomic force microscopy using a quartz resonator

Area of Science:

• Surface Science
• Microscopy Technology
• Materials Science

Background:

• Atomic force microscopy (AFM) is crucial for nanoscale imaging.
• Traditional AFM systems are limited by slow scanning speeds, hindering dynamic process observation.
• There is a need for faster AFM techniques to study rapid surface phenomena.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and present a high-speed atomic force microscope for large-area scanning.
• To demonstrate the microscope's capability in imaging dynamic processes at high speeds.
• To achieve significantly improved imaging speeds compared to conventional AFM.

Main Methods:

• Utilizing a quartz bar driven near resonance for fast scan axis motion.
• Implementing a novel scanner design for high-speed tip-sample movement.
• Achieving average tip-sample velocities up to 28 cm/s at line rates of 830-1410 Hz.

Main Results:

• Imaging areas up to 170 × 170 μm² in 1 second.
• Acquiring images of 80 × 80 μm² in 0.42 seconds.
• Successfully imaged the in situ spherulitic crystallization of a semicrystalline polymer at high speed.

Conclusions:

• The developed high-speed AFM enables rapid, large-area surface imaging.
• The system significantly enhances imaging speed for atomic force microscopy.
• This technology opens new possibilities for studying dynamic nanoscale events in real-time.