Beilstein Arch. 2022, 202246. https://doi.org/10.3762/bxiv.2022.46.v1
Published 09 Jun 2022
Cantilever-based atomic force microscopy (AFM) performed under ambient conditions has become an important tool to characterize new material systems as well as devices. Current instruments permit robust scanning over large areas, atomic scale lateral resolution and the characterization of various sample properties using multifrequency and multimodal AFM operation modes. Research of new quantum materials and devices however, often requires low temperatures and ultra-high vacuum (UHV) conditions. In this article, we describe a cantilever-based low temperature UHV AFM setup that allows to transfer of the versatile AFM techniques developed for ambient conditions to UHV and low temperature conditions. We demonstrate that such a cantilever-based AFM offers experimental flexibility by permitting multimodal or multifrequency operations with superior force derivative sensitivities and bandwidths. Our instrument has a sub-picometer gap stability and can simultaneously map not only vertical and lateral forces with atomic-scale resolution, but also perform rapid overview scans with the tip kept at larger tip-sample distances for robust imaging.
Keywords: atomic force microscopy; ultra-high vacuum; atomic resolution; multimodal operation; instrumentation design
When a peer-reviewed version of this preprint is available, this information will be updated in the information box above. If no peer-reviewed version is available, please cite this preprint using the following information:
Liu, H.; Ahmed, Z.; Vranjkovic, S.; Parschau, M.; Mandru, A.-O.; Hug, H. J. Beilstein Arch. 2022, 202246. doi:10.3762/bxiv.2022.46.v1
Citation data can be downloaded as file using the "Download" button or used for copy/paste from the text window below.
Citation data in RIS format can be imported by all major citation management software, including EndNote, ProCite, RefWorks, and
Zotero.
© 2022 Liu et al.; licensee Beilstein-Institut.
This is an open access work licensed under the terms of the Beilstein-Institut Open Access License Agreement (https://www.beilstein-archives.org/xiv/terms), which is identical to the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0). The reuse of material under this license requires that the author(s), source and license are credited. Third-party material in this work could be subject to other licenses (typically indicated in the credit line), and in this case, users are required to obtain permission from the license holder to reuse the material.
