Stiffness calibration of qPlus sensors at low temperature through thermal noise measurements

• Laurent Nony,
• Sylvain Clair,
• Daniel Uehli,
• Aitziber Herrero,
• Jean-Marc Themlin,
• Andrea Campos,
• Franck Para,
• Alessandro Pioda and
• Christian Loppacher

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2024, 15, 580–602, doi:10.3762/bjnano.15.50

• little precision. An accurate stiffness calibration is therefore mandatory if accurate force measurements are targeted. In nc-AFM, the probe may either be a silicon cantilever, a quartz tuning fork (QTF), or a length extensional resonator (LER). When used in ultrahigh vacuum (UHV) and at low temperature

• stiffness calibration of a particular type of qPlus sensor in UHV and at 9.8 K by means of thermal noise measurements. The stiffness calibration of such high-k sensors, featuring high quality factors (Q) as well, requires to master both the acquisition parameters and the data post-processing. Our approach

• the framework focuses on a particular kind of sensor, it may be adapted to any high-k, high-Q nc-AFM probe used under similar conditions, such as silicon cantilevers and LERs. Keywords: low temperature; non-contact atomic force microscopy; qPlus sensors; quartz tuning fork; stiffness calibration

The description of friction of silicon MEMS with surface roughness: virtues and limitations of a stochastic Prandtl–Tomlinson model and the simulation of vibration-induced friction reduction

• W. Merlijn van Spengen,
• Viviane Turq and
• Joost W. M. Frenken

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2010, 1, 163–171, doi:10.3762/bjnano.1.20

• figure). Comparison of the atomic-scale and stochastic Prandtl–Tomlinson models. Acknowledgements This work has been financially supported by the Dutch NWO-STW foundation in the ‘Veni’ program under ref. no. LMF.7302. Geert H. C. J. Wijts (Leiden University) is thanked for the spring stiffness

• calibration measurement of the MEMS tribometer. The second author would also like to thank the French Foreign Affair Ministry for its support through a Lavoisier fellowship and the Dutch FOM for its financial support.