Exploitation of second-order effects in atomic force microscopy
AssigneeTufts University
InventorsMaxim Dokukin, Igor Sokolov
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Abstract
A processing system cooperates with an atomic force microscope operating in ramp mode at a ramp frequency is configured to collect data indicative of at least one of physical and chemical properties of a sample. The system collects data indicative of probe movement at a frequency that is higher than the ramp frequency. This data comprises a second-order portion of the probe's signal. Based at least in part on the second-order portion, the processor obtains a parameter that is indicative at least one of a physical and a chemical property of a sample.
Claims20
An apparatus for evaluating one of a physical and a chemical property of a surface, said apparatus comprising a processing system configured to cooperate with an atomic force microscope operating in a nonresonant ramp mode at a ramp frequency, said processing system being configured to collect a data indicative of at least one of the physical and the chemical properties of a sample, wherein said processing system is configured to receive a probe signal indicative of a movement of a probe at a frequency that is higher than said ramp frequency;
- wherein said probe signal comprises a contact portion and a rebound portion, and wherein said probe signal comprises a first portion indicative of a cantilever deflection of said atomic force microscope and a second portion that consists of second-order effects of motion of said cantilever;
- and wherein said processing system is further configured to obtain through processing a parameter that is indicative at least one of the physical and the chemical property of the sample based at least in part on said second portion of said probe signal;
- wherein the second order effects of either contact or rebound portions of the probe signal are processed to provide information about said parameter.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.