Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM)

By Alpesh Patel Roll no.-03 Materials Science 3rd Sem.

Contents :
History. What is an AFM ? Distinguished characteristics of AFM . Principle . Application of AFM. Advantages. Disadvantages. References.

History Binnig, Quate and Gerber invented the first AFM in 1986.

What is an AFM ?
Since its invention in 1986 atomic force microscopys (AFM) has become the most widely used form of scanning probe microscope (SPM) with applications in surface, materials, and biological sciences.

Distinguished characteristics of AFM

Scanned-proximity probe microscopes provide very high resolution images of various sample property. The atomic force microscope is one of about two dozen types of scanned-proximity probe microscopes. All of these microscopes work by measuring a local property - such as height, optical absorption, or magnetism - with a probe or "tip" placed very close to the sample . Unlike traditional microscopes, scanned-probe systems do not use lenses.

Cont..
AFM cantilevers have high flexibility:A high flexibility cantilever exerts lower downward forces on the sample, resulting in less distortion and damage while scanning. For this reason AFM cantilevers generally have spring constants of about 0.1 N/m. The equation for the resonant frequency of a spring:

shows that a cantilever can have both low spring constant and high resonant frequency if it has a small mass. Thats why AFM cantilever tend to be very small.

Cotn.
AFMs can measure sample elasticity :-

AFMs can image sample elasticity by pressing the tip into the sample and measuring the resulting cantilever deflection.

Principle .
The AFM works in the same way as our fingers which touch and probe the environment when we cannot see it. By using a finger to "visualize" an object, our brain is able to deduce its topography while touching it. To achieve atomic scale resolution, a sharp stylus (radius ~1-2 nm) attached to a cantilever is used in the AFM to scan an object point by point and contouring it while a constant small force is applied to the stylus (Fig. 1a). With the AFM the role of the brain is taken over by a computer, while scanning the stylus is accomplished by a piezoelectric tube (Fig. 1b).

Application of AFM
The AFM can be used to image and manipulate atoms and structures on a variety of surfaces. The atom of the tip "senses" individual atoms on the underlying surface when it forms chemical bonds with each atom. Because these chemical interactions alter the tip's vibration frequency, they can be detected and mapped. Such a technique has been used now in biology.

The atoms of a Sodium Chloride crystal viewed with an Atomic Force Microscope

Advantages
The AFM has several advantages over the scanning electron microscope (SEM). Unlike the electron microscope which provides a two-dimensional projection or a twodimensional image of a sample, the AFM provides a true three-dimensional surface profile. Additionally, samples viewed by AFM do not require any special treatments (such as metal/carbon coatings) that would damage the sample.

Cont.
While an electron microscope needs an expensive vacuum environment for proper operation, most AFM modes can work perfectly well in ambient air or even a liquid environment. In principle, AFM can provide higher resolution than SEM. It has been shown to give true atomic resolution in ultra-high vacuum (UHV).

Disadvantages
A disadvantage of AFM compared with the scanning electron microscope (SEM) is the image size. The SEM can image an area on the order of millimetre. The AFM can only image a maximum height on the order of micrometres and a maximum scanning area of around 150 by 150 micrometres. The relatively slow rate of scanning during AFM imaging often leads to thermal drift in the image, making the AFM microscope less suited for measuring accurate distances between artifacts on the image.

Cont
AFM images can also be affected by hysteresis of the piezoelectric material . Specially made cantilevers can be modulated sideways as well as up and down to measure sidewalls, at the cost of more expensive cantilevers and additional artifacts.

References : INTRODUCTION TO NANOTECHNOLOGY -Charles P. Poole Jr. -Frank J. Owens (2003) www.AFMinstru.Com