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Scanning Probe/Atomic Force Microscopy: A Technology Overview (AN48)

From Veeco Instruments
 

 

Scanning probe microscopes (SPMs) are instruments that measure properties of surfaces. They include atomic force microscopes (AFMs) and scanning tunneling microscopes (STMs). In their first applications, SPMs were used mainly for measuring 3D surface topography and, although they can now be used to measure many other surface properties, that is still their primary application. SPMs are the most powerful tools of our time for surface metrology, measuring surface features whose dimensions range from interatomic spacing to a tenth of a millimeter.

The main feature that all SPMs have in common is that the measurements are performed with a sharp probe operating in the near field, that is, scanning over the surface while maintaining a very close spacing to the surface. These instruments, specifically STMs, were the first to produce real-space images of atomic arrangements on flat surfaces. SPMs are now most commonly used to perform very precise, three-dimensional measurements on the Ångstrom-to-micrometer scale.

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Topics of Interest
Chapter List Chapter 2: Scanning Probe Microscopy - Principle of Operation, Instrumentation, and Probes Chapter 3: Probes in Scanning Microscopies Chapter 4: Noncontact Atomic Force... (Read More)
Scanning probe and atomic force (SPM / AFM) microscopes are used to study surface features by moving a sharp probe over the object's surface (e.g., the scanning tunneling microscope). Atomic force... (Read More)
Nanoindentation is an option for Digital Instruments MultiMode® and Dimension™ Series Scanning Probe Microscopes (SPMs). Using TappingMode™ AFM and an AFM diamond tip mounted to a... (Read More)
The invention of the scanning tunneling microscope in 1982 initiated the creation of what is known today as a whole family of scanning probe microscopies (SPMs). The importance of scanning tunneling... (Read More)
3.1 Introduction Surface finish and texture can be measured in a large number of ways ranging from simply tracing a fingernail across a surface to the use of scanning electron microscopes (SEMs). (Read More)