Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) and Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM): Complimentary Techniques for High Resolution Surface Investigations (AN46)

There are a wide range of analytical techniques which may be used for materials characterization depending on the type of information needed. For high resolution surface investigations, two commonly used techniques are Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM) and Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM)-Figures 1 and 2, respectively. Each of these techniques resolves surface structure down to the nanometer scale. However, the image formation mechanisms are quite different, resulting in different types of information about the surface structure. The occurrence of the SEM and AFM side-by-side is becoming more common in today's analytical laboratories. This article will compare and contrast the two techniques with respect to specific types of surface measurements, and demonstrate how these analytical techniques provide information which is complementary in nature.

The first SEM was constructed in 1938 by von Ardenne by rastering the electron beam of a Transmission Electron Microscope (TEM) to essentially form a Scanning Transmission Electron Microscope