Atomic Force Micros

ATOMIC FORCE MICROSCOPY
INTRODUCTION
The Atomic force microscope (AFM) was developed to overcome a basic drawback with STM (it
can only image conducting or semiconducting surfaces).The AFM has the advantage of imaging
almost any type of surface, including polymers, ceramics, composites, glass, and biological
samples. It is used for surface characterization.
The AFM was invented in 1985. The original AFM consisted of a diamond tip attached to a strip
of gold foil. The diamond tip contacted the surface directly, with the interatomic van der Waals
forces providing the interaction mechanism. Probes are typically made from Si3N4, or Si. Due to
different cantilever length and materials, spring constants and resonant frequencies can vary.
Principle:
It is one of the most important tools for imaging on the nanometer scale, Atomic Force
Microscopy uses a cantilever with a sharp probe (<10 nm) that scans the surface of the
specimen at very short distance (0.2-10 nm probe-sample separation). The probe is placed on
the end of a cantilever(which one can think as a spring),when the tip of the probe travels near to
a surface, the forces between the tip and sample deflect the cantilever according to Hooke’s law.
F=-k·x
F=Force
k = spring constant
x = cantilever deflection
If the spring constant of cantilever (typically ~ 0.1-1 N/m) is less than surface, then the cantilever
bends and deflection is observed. A laser beam is used to detect cantilever deflections towards
or away from the surface. A position-sensitive photo diode (PSPD) is used to track these changes.
Thus an AFM images the topography of a sample surface by scanning the cantilever over a
region of interest. By using a feedback loop to control the height of the tip above the surface the
AFM can generate an accurate topographic image of the surface.
INSTRUMENTATION
The atomic force between a sample and tip are measured using a laser and a detector to monitor
the cantilever motion. The sample holder moves the sample up and down via a piezoelectric
scanning tube to maintain the interaction force to a preselected level.
A three-dimensional image can finally be constructed by recording the cantilever. The piezo
stage has active feedback control with sensors for distance control. A magnetic sample holder is
attached to the stage. This assembly is fixed to the three-channel piezo stage. The set-up is
placed in a closed chamber to reduce the thermal drift. The He-Ne laser connected to the AFM
head reduces non-thermal noise which affects the stability of the laser diode. The noise power
spectra are obtained with a Fourier analyzer. The spectra are on-line fitted with resonance curves.
The cantilever chip is glued to the mount which is held by the magnets in the AFM head.
Modes of Operation
There are multiple methods of imaging a surface using an atomic force microscope; these
imagining modes uniquely utilize the probe and its interaction with the surface to obtain data.
Hence there are 3 primary imaging modes in AFM depending whether the cantilever vibrates
during the vibration:
(1) Contact AFM (< 0.5 nm probe-surface separation)
(2) Intermittent contact (tapping mode AFM) (0.5-2 nm probe-surface separation)
(3) Non-contact AFM (0.1-10 nm probe-surface separation)

1. Contact Mode AFM:
In this mode the tip is dragged across the surface. When the spring constant of cantilever is less
than surface, the cantilever bends. The force on the tip is repulsive so by maintaining a constant
cantilever deflection the force between the probe and the sample remains constant and an
image of the surface is obtained.
 Advantages: fast scanning, good for rough samples, used in friction analysis
 Disadvantages: at times forces can damage/deform soft samples, contamination of the
surface
2. Intermittent Mode (Tapping):
The imaging is similar to contact. However, in this mode the cantilever is oscillates at its resonant
frequency, but the oscillation amplitude is (20-200) nm. The probe lightly “taps” on the sample
surface during scanning. The tip-sample interaction alters the amplitude, resonance frequency
and phase angle of the oscillating lever. By maintaining constant oscillation amplitude, a
constant tip-sample interaction is maintained, and an image of the surface is obtained. It is
mostly suitable for imaging soft samples.
 Advantages: allows high resolution of samples , Good for biological samples

 Disadvantages: more challenging to image in liquids, slower scan speeds
3. Non-contact Mode:
In non-contact mode, the tip vibrates slightly above its resonance frequency and does not
contact the surface of the sample. The resonance frequency and amplitude of oscillating
cantilever changes as it approaches the surface due to the interactions with weak long-range
forces thus essentially imaging the surface. Using a feedback loop to monitor changes in the
amplitude due to attractive Vaander Waals forces the surface topography can be measured.
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 Advantages: Very low force exerted on the sample (10 N), so probe lifetime is
increased.
 Disadvantages: Generally lower resolution, usually need ultra-high vacuum (UHV) for best
imaging.
AFM Advantages (STRENGTH)
1. It does not require either a vacuum or the sample to undergo treatment that
might damage it.
2. The AFM can be used to study a wide variety of samples i.e. plastic, metals,
glasses, semiconductors, and biological samples such as the walls of cells and
bacteria.
3. It does not require a conductive sample.
4. It produces high resolution images in the range of nanometers.
5. There is no radiation damage of the sample.
AFM Disadvantages (LIMITATIONS)

1. The atomic force microscope is invaluable if you want to measure incredibly small
samples with a great degree of accuracy.
2. Another disadvantage is the relatively slow scan time, which can lead to thermal
drift on the sample.
3. The physical probe used in AFM imaging is not ideally sharp. As a consequence,
an AFM image does not reflect the true sample topography, but rather represents
the interaction of the probe with the sample surface. This is called tip
convolution.
4. It is quite complex and very vulnerable to outside contaminations.
5. It may damage soft samples during imaging.

APPLICATIONS OF AFM:
1. Nanoindentation is a useful tool that allows the direct measurement of
mechanical properties of thin films, including polymer films AFM
nanoindentation can be used for studying the mechanical properties of ultra-thin
polymer films.
2. AFM can image non-conducting surfaces. So, it was immediately extended to the
biological systems, such as analyzing the crystals of amino acids and organic
polymers it can also be used for the analysis of DNA and RNA.
3. Elastic properties can be evaluated by using force mode of atomic force

microscopy. It gives information on the properties of various regions on the
sample surface.
4. AFM can be used for evaluating the aging of polymer surfaces by mapping the
distribution of adhesion surfaces. It can be done by modifying the tip of AFM.
5. It can also be used for nanoscale mapping of mechanical properties of polymer

surfaces by means of AFM noise analysis.

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ATOMIC FORCE MICROSCOPY

(1) Contact AFM (< 0.5 nm probe-surface separation)

(2) Intermittent contact (tapping mode AFM) (0.5-2 nm probe-surface separation)

(3) Non-contact AFM (0.1-10 nm probe-surface separation)

2. Intermittent Mode (Tapping):

 Advantages: allows high resolution of samples , Good for biological samples

3. It does not require a conductive sample.

4. It produces high resolution images in the range of nanometers.

5. There is no radiation damage of the sample.

AFM Disadvantages (LIMITATIONS)

4. It is quite complex and very vulnerable to outside contaminations.

5. It may damage soft samples during imaging.

3. Elastic properties can be evaluated by using force mode of atomic force

5. It can also be used for nanoscale mapping of mechanical properties of polymer

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