IISERTVM

Atomic Force Microscopy

Abdu Subhan M IMS15003
(Dated: 8 November 2018)

Atomic Force Microscopy,or AFM, is the type

of Atomic Probe Microscopy used to study the
surface properties, especially the topography, of
a non-conducting sample. Here in this experi-
ment we endeavor to we try to understand the
working of an AFM instrument and try to get
the topography of an SiO2 nanostructure using
it.AFM is arguably the most versatile and pow-
erful microscopy technology to study samples at
nanoscale. It is versatile because an AFM can not
only image in threedimensional topography, but
it also provides various types of surface measure-
ments. An AFM can generate images at atomic
resolution with angstrom scale resolution height
information, with minimum sample preparation.

FIG. 1.
I.

Atomic force microscopy (AFM) is a technique for cantilevers with lower spring constants. The dimensions
analyz- ing the surface of a rigid material all the way of the cantilever are very important as they dictate its
down to the level of the atom. AFM uses a mechani- spring constant or stiffness; this stiffness is fundamen-
cal probe to magnify surface features up to 100,000,000 tal to governing the interaction between the tip and the
times, and it produces 3-D images of the surface. The in- sample and can result in poor image quality if not chosen
formation is gathered by feeling or touching the surface carefully.
with a mechanical probe. Piezoelectric elements that fa- The experiment was performed on microstructured sili-
cilitate tiny but accurate and precise movements on (elec- con dioxide. The apparatus was set up and a set of pa-
tronic) command enable precise scanning. The AFM has rameters specified. The tip was carefully advanced and
three major abilities: force measurement, imaging, and approached to the sample. Various parameters such as
manipulation. In force measurement, AFMs can be used the set-in voltage, number of points scanned per line and
to measure the forces between the probe and the sam- the time per line were varied in order to obtain the best
ple as a function of their mutual separation. This can possible image.
be applied to perform force spectroscopy, to measure the
mechanical properties of the sample, such as the samples
Youngs modulus, a measure of stiffness. For imaging,
the reaction of the probe to the forces that the sample
imposes on it can be used to form an image of the three-
dimensional shape (topography) of a sample surface at a
high resolution. The AFM probe interacts with the sub-
strate through a raster scanning motion. The up/down
and side to side motion of the tip as it scans along the sur-
face is monitored through the beam deflection method.
The beam deflection method consists of a laser that is
reflected off the back end of the cantilever and directed
towards a position sensitive detector that tracks the ver-
tical and lateral motion of the probe. The deflection
sensitivity of these detectors has to be calibrated. There
are three basic modes of operation with an AFM: con-
tact mode, non-contact mode and tapping mode. AFM
cantilevers are typically made of either silicon or sili-
con nitride, where silicon nitride is reserved for softer FIG. 2.
IISERTVM 2

II. REFERENCES

1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atomic force mi-

croscopy

2. http://uni-obuda.hu/users/grollerg/Electronic-
technology/3-Thin

3. http://lpc1.clpccd.cc.ca.us/lpc/tswain