CBS Atomic Force Microscopy

The atomic force microscope (AFM) is one kind of scanning probe microscopes (SPM). SPMs are designed to measure local properties, such as height, friction, magnetism, with a probe. To acquire an image, the SPM raster-scans the probe over a small area of the sample, measuring the local property simultaneously. The information is gathered by ""feeling"" or ""touching"" the surface with a mechanical probe. Piezoelectric elements that facilitate tiny but accurate and precise movements on (electronic) command enable very precise scanning. Compared to competitive technologies such as optical microscopy and electron microscopy, the major difference between these and the atomic-force microscope is that the latter does not use lenses or beam irradiation. Therefore, it does not suffer from a limitation of space resolution due to diffraction limit and aberration, and it is not necessary to prepare a space for guiding the beam (by creating a vacuum) or to stain the sample. Piezo-ceramics position the tip with high resolution. Piezoelectric ceramics are a class of materials that expand or contract when in the presence of a voltage gradient. Piezo-ceramics make it possible to create three-dimensional positioning devices of arbitrarily high precision. In contact mode, AFMs use feedback to regulate the force on the sample. The AFM not only measures the force on the sample but also regulates it, allowing acquisition of images at very low forces. The feedback loop consists of the tube scanner that controls the height of the tip; the cantilever and optical lever, which measures the local height of the sample; and a feedback circuit that attempts to keep the cantilever deflection constant by adjusting the voltage applied to the scanner. The atomic force microscope is a powerful tool that is invaluable if to measure incredibly small samples with a great degree of accuracy. Unlike rival technologies it does not require either a vacuum or the sample to undergo treatment that might damage it. At the limits of operation however, researchers have demonstrated atomic resolution in high vacuum and even liquid environments. The book entitled Atomic Force Microscopy covers the applications and theories of atomic force microscope.