AFM University Introduction to Atomic Force Microscopy by Paul West

« Cover
« Foreward
« Chapter 1
 
1.1. History
1.2. Comparison
1.3. Enabling Nanotechnology
 « Chapter 2
 « Chapter 3
 « Chapter 4
 « Chapter 5
 « Chapter 6
 « Chapter 7
« Appendix A
« Appendix B
« Appendix C
« Appendix D
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Typically, when we think of microscopes, we think of optical or electron microscopes. Such microscopes create a magnified image of an object by focusing electromagnetic radiation, such as photons or electrons, on its surface. Optical and electron microscopes can easily generate two-dimensional magnified images of an object’s surface, with a magnification as great as 1000X for an optical microscope, and as large as 100,000X for an electron microscope. Although these are powerful tools, the images obtained are typically in the plane horizontal to the surface of the object. Such microscopes do not readily supply the vertical dimensions of an object’s surface, the height and depth of the surface features.

Unlike traditional microscopes, the AFM does not rely on electromagnetic radiation such as photon or electron beams to create an image. An AFM is a mechanical imaging instrument that measures the three dimensional topography as well as physical properties of a surface with a sharpened probe, (see Figure 1-1).
FIGURE 1-1 In the AFM, a sharp probe is scanned across a surface, left, and by monitoring the motion of the probe from each pass across the surface, a 2-D line profile is generated. Then the line profiles are combined to create a three dimensional image of the surface, right.

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