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Calibration of the lateral spring constant for a custom T-shaped atomic force microscopy probe
Zhimu Yang1, Rui Xu1, Dongchao Zhao1
1Jiangsu Key Laboratory for Design and Manufacture of Micro-Nano Biomedical Instruments, Department of Mechanical Engineering, Southeast University, Nanjing 210096, People's Republic of China.
The Review of Scientific Instruments
|March 21, 2025
Summary
This study presents a new method to calibrate the lateral spring constant of atomic force microscopy (AFM) probes. The technique accurately determines this critical nanotribology parameter using resonance frequencies and probe mass reduction.
Area of Science:
- Nanotechnology
- Materials Science
- Physics
Background:
- Atomic force microscopy (AFM) is crucial for nanotribology studies.
- Accurate calibration of the AFM probe's lateral spring constant is essential for reliable measurements.
Purpose of the Study:
- To introduce and validate a novel method for calibrating the lateral spring constant of T-shaped AFM probes.
- To establish a reliable technique for a custom AFM system.
Main Methods:
- Derived an expression for the lateral spring constant based on lateral bending and torsional resonance frequencies, reduced masses, and moments of inertia.
- Utilized electrochemical etching to systematically reduce the probe tip's mass.
- Employed three piezoelectric techniques to excite probe resonance and measure frequencies across various vibration modes.
- Performed finite element analysis to predict lateral spring constants for probes of different dimensions.
Main Results:
- Successfully calibrated the lateral spring constant of T-shaped AFM probes.
- Demonstrated a correlation between resonance frequencies, probe dimensions, and the lateral spring constant.
- Finite element analysis results confirmed the accuracy and reliability of the proposed calibration method.
Conclusions:
- The developed method provides a reliable approach for calibrating AFM probe lateral spring constants.
- This technique enhances the precision of nanotribology investigations using AFM.
- The study confirms the effectiveness of correlating resonance frequencies with probe geometry for calibration.
