Acceleration of imaging in atomic force microscopy working in sub-resonance tapping mode

Area of Science:

• Surface science
• Nanotechnology
• Materials science

Background:

• Sub-Resonance Tapping (SRT) mode in Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM) allows controlled imaging and property mapping.
• A key limitation of SRT is its slow scanning speed compared to other AFM modes.

Purpose of the Study:

• To introduce a novel control algorithm, Trajectory Tracking SRT (TT-SRT), to enhance AFM scanning speed.
• To demonstrate the speed and performance advantages of TT-SRT over standard SRT.

Main Methods:

• Developed and implemented the TT-SRT control algorithm, which integrates feedback at each probe-sample interaction.
• Conducted comparative scans on diverse sample types using both standard SRT and TT-SRT at identical speeds.
• Optimized control gains for each mode to maximize performance.

Main Results:

• TT-SRT significantly increases scanning speed compared to standard SRT.
• The speed enhancement of TT-SRT becomes more pronounced with higher data quality requirements.
• TT-SRT can achieve speeds ten times greater than standard SRT for comparable data quality.

Conclusions:

• TT-SRT offers a substantial improvement in scanning speed for AFM, addressing a major bottleneck in SRT mode.
• The developed algorithm maintains or improves data quality at significantly higher scan rates.
• TT-SRT represents a promising advancement for high-throughput surface analysis using AFM.