Tendency in tip polarity changes in non-contact atomic force microscopy imaging on a fluorite surface

• Bob Kyeyune,
• Philipp Rahe and
• Michael Reichling

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2025, 16, 944–950, doi:10.3762/bjnano.16.72

• . Keywords: atomic resolution imaging; calcium fluoride surface; interaction force; non-contact atomic force microscopy (NC-AFM); tip change; Introduction Non-contact atomic force microscopy (NC-AFM) [1] is a surface science tool that has been used to atomically resolve surfaces of semiconductor and

A cantilever-based, ultrahigh-vacuum, low-temperature scanning probe instrument for multidimensional scanning force microscopy

• Hao Liu,
• Zuned Ahmed,
• Sasa Vranjkovic,
• Manfred Parschau,
• Andrada-Oana Mandru and
• Hans J. Hug

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2022, 13, 1120–1140, doi:10.3762/bjnano.13.95

Atomic-resolution imaging of rutile TiO₂(110)-(1 × 2) reconstructed surface by non-contact atomic force microscopy

• Daiki Katsube,
• Shoki Ojima,
• Eiichi Inami and
• Masayuki Abe

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2020, 11, 443–449, doi:10.3762/bjnano.11.35

Atomic force acoustic microscopy reveals the influence of substrate stiffness and topography on cell behavior

• Yan Liu,
• Li Li,
• Xing Chen,
• Ying Wang,
• Meng-Nan Liu,
• Jin Yan,
• Liang Cao,
• Lu Wang and
• Zuo-Bin Wang

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2019, 10, 2329–2337, doi:10.3762/bjnano.10.223

• , but the spatial resolution is poor [18]. SEM is capable of detecting the surface features of substrates and cells on the nanoscale, but the sample preparation is time-consuming and complex [19]. AFM is emerging as a valuable tool for true atomic resolution imaging [20] and is widely used in

Quantitative comparison of wideband low-latency phase-locked loop circuit designs for high-speed frequency modulation atomic force microscopy

• Kazuki Miyata and
• Takeshi Fukuma

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2018, 9, 1844–1855, doi:10.3762/bjnano.9.176

• dissolution process; frequency modulation atomic force microscopy; high-speed atomic-resolution imaging; phase-locked loop; Introduction Frequency modulation atomic force microscopy (FM-AFM) is a powerful tool for investigating atomic- and molecular-scale structures of sample surfaces in various environments

• ][7], as well as atomic-scale imaging of intramolecular structures at low temperatures [8]. The liquid-environment applications of FM-AFM have also been intensively explored. So far, this method has been utilized for atomic-resolution imaging of inorganic crystals [9][10][11][12][13][14] and

• the developed high-speed PLL, we recently demonstrated atomic-resolution imaging in a liquid at 2 s/frame [26]. However, the design and principle of the developed PLL have not been reported in detail. In addition, the bandwidth and latency improvements achieved using the proposed design have not been

Combined pulsed laser deposition and non-contact atomic force microscopy system for studies of insulator metal oxide thin films

• Daiki Katsube,
• Hayato Yamashita,
• Satoshi Abo and
• Masayuki Abe

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2018, 9, 686–692, doi:10.3762/bjnano.9.63

• same as in our previous studies [29][37][41][44][45][46][47][48]. To perform stable atomic resolution imaging in this chamber, a mechanism to fix the unit by double spring vibration isolation and eddy current damping [49] is provided, to prevent vibration noise. Therefore, it is possible to obtain

• still difficult to find the best sample preparation conditions for PLD for atomic resolution imaging with NC-AFM and STM. Even if a clean diffraction pattern can be seen with RHEED performed during the PLD, it might be that the surface flatness necessary for the NC-AFM observation is not obtained

• , sample preparation at the atomic level is possible in the same way. Atomic resolution imaging of insulator metal oxide films with NC-AFM Atomic resolution imaging with NC-AFM of insulator thin films of anatase TiO2(001) and LaAlO3(100) prepared with PLD was carried out. Both materials are important metal

Noise in NC-AFM measurements with significant tip–sample interaction

• Jannis Lübbe,
• Matthias Temmen,
• Philipp Rahe and
• Michael Reichling

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2016, 7, 1885–1904, doi:10.3762/bjnano.7.181

• always the experimental task defining the desired spatial resolution λ that is, for instance, a fraction of the atomic periodicity in atomic resolution imaging, and the available time for the measurement expressed by the scan speed vscan. Assuming perfectly band-limited output signals, the sampling

Noncontact atomic force microscopy III

• Mehmet Z. Baykara and
• Udo D. Schwarz

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2016, 7, 946–947, doi:10.3762/bjnano.7.86

• tunneling microscopy (STM) relies on quantum mechanical tunneling of electrons to enable the atomic-resolution imaging of (semi-)conducting sample surfaces, it was the atomic force microscope (AFM) that eventually allowed for nanometer-scale imaging of sample surfaces with no limitations on electrical

Length-extension resonator as a force sensor for high-resolution frequency-modulation atomic force microscopy in air

• Hannes Beyer,
• Tino Wagner and
• Andreas Stemmer

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2016, 7, 432–438, doi:10.3762/bjnano.7.38

• imaging of samples in their natural environment. Furthermore, we have shown atomic resolution imaging on graphite although the interactions are not yet fully understood. A slow feedback maintaining a constant excitation was introduced to compensate for drifts of the free resonance frequency. Stable

Efficiency improvement in the cantilever photothermal excitation method using a photothermal conversion layer

• Natsumi Inada,
• Hitoshi Asakawa,
• Taiki Kobayashi and
• Takeshi Fukuma

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2016, 7, 409–417, doi:10.3762/bjnano.7.36

• due to its great potential for many applications. For example, recent advancements in instrumentation of dynamic-mode AFM have enabled atomic-resolution imaging not only in vacuum [2][3][4] but also in liquid [5][6]. In addition, other advanced AFM techniques such as high-speed AFM [7][8][9] and

Growth and characterization of CNT–TiO₂ heterostructures

• Yucheng Zhang,
• Ivo Utke,
• Johann Michler,
• Gabriele Ilari,
• Marta D. Rossell and
• Rolf Erni

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2014, 5, 946–955, doi:10.3762/bjnano.5.108

• nanomaterials To fundamentally understand the interface between CNTs and metal/metal oxides on the nanometer or even on the atomic level, TEM plays an irreplaceable role due to its high spatial resolution. With the development of spherical aberration correctors, atomic-resolution imaging at a sub-0.5 Å level

Impact of thermal frequency drift on highest precision force microscopy using quartz-based force sensors at low temperatures

• Florian Pielmeier,
• Daniel Meuer,
• Daniel Schmid,
• Christoph Strunk and
• Franz J. Giessibl

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2014, 5, 407–412, doi:10.3762/bjnano.5.48

• signal-to-noise ratio of quartz sensors, which showed that deflection detector noise decreases with decreasing beam thickness t [7]. While reducing simply t would lead to a decrease in k as well, the length L was also decreased to keep k in the optimal stiffness range for atomic resolution imaging [29

Noncontact atomic force microscopy II

• Mehmet Z. Baykara and
• Udo D. Schwarz

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2014, 5, 289–290, doi:10.3762/bjnano.5.31

• , the operation of the AFM in its traditional form requires the establishment of a permanent – albeit light – contact between the probe tip and the sample surface, leading to a finite contact area, which prevents true atomic-resolution imaging. True atomic resolution imaging through AFM was finally

• insulating material surfaces of technological and scientific importance with atomic resolution, thus contributing to nano-scale science in a major way with each passing year. The capabilities of NC-AFM are not only limited to atomic-resolution imaging: Force spectroscopy allows characterization of

Optimal geometry for a quartz multipurpose SPM sensor

• Julian Stirling

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2013, 4, 370–376, doi:10.3762/bjnano.4.43

• atomic-resolution imaging the effective spring constant of the excited eigenmode should be low [13]. However, as the spring constant normal to the surface lowers, the risk of the probe snapping to contact with the surface increases. This produces a problem for combined AFM/LFM using the principal and

High-resolution dynamic atomic force microscopy in liquids with different feedback architectures

• John Melcher,
• David Martínez-Martín,
• Miriam Jaafar,
• Julio Gómez-Herrero and
• Arvind Raman

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2013, 4, 153–163, doi:10.3762/bjnano.4.15

• interrogating samples ranging from stiff inorganic materials to soft biological samples, with nanoscale resolution. Recently, the achievement of atomic-resolution imaging in liquids [2][3][4][5][6] has challenged the accepted belief that high quality factors, which are a hallmark of microcantilever probes in

• vacuum, are necessary for atomic-resolution imaging [7]. However, atomic-resolution images have now been obtained with several dAFM imaging modes in liquids despite the quality factors being several orders of magnitude smaller than in vacuum. Several prior works have been dedicated to the understanding

• ) disturbance mitigation and (iv) stability in dAFM modes. Force sensitivity and resolution To understand how atomic-resolution imaging is possible in liquids despite the low quality factors, we first examine the sensitivity of the oscillating probe to tip–sample forces. For high-resolution imaging in all dAFM

Advanced atomic force microscopy techniques

• Thilo Glatzel,
• Hendrik Hölscher,
• Thomas Schimmel,
• Mehmet Z. Baykara,
• Udo D. Schwarz and
• Ricardo Garcia

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2012, 3, 893–894, doi:10.3762/bjnano.3.99

• resolution was first achieved in the 1990s. The most convincing results, however, were restricted to the so-called noncontact mode in vacuum for a long time, but recent technical developments overcame this limitation, and atomic-resolution imaging is now also a standard in liquids. Beyond pushing the

Modeling noncontact atomic force microscopy resolution on corrugated surfaces

• Kristen M. Burson,
• Mahito Yamamoto and
• William G. Cullen

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2012, 3, 230–237, doi:10.3762/bjnano.3.26

• -AFM) has brought considerable advancement to the atomic-scale study of surfaces, by allowing both atomic-resolution imaging and atomically resolved force spectroscopy. Generally, these advancements have been made on atomically flat crystalline surfaces. Yet, many surfaces of technological interest are