We describe a scanning probe instrument which integrates ion beams with the imaging and alignment function of a piezo-resistive scanning probe in high vacuum. The beam passes through several apertures and is finally collimated by a hole in the cantilever of the scanning probe. The ion beam spot size is limited by the size of the last aperture. Highly charged ions are used to show hits of single...

Numerical modelling of atomic force microscopy cantilever designs and experiments is presented with the aim of exploring friction mechanisms at the microscale. As a starting point for this work, comparisons between finite element (FE) models and previously reported mathematical models for stiffness calibration of cantilevers (beam and V-shaped) are presented and discrepancies highlighted. A col...

It is difficult to predict the measurement bias arising from the compliance of the atomic force microscope (AFM) probe. The issue becomes particularly important in this situation where nanometer uncertainties are sought for measurements with dimensional probes composed of flexible carbon nanotubes mounted on AFM cantilevers. We have developed a finite element model for simulating the mechanical...

Natural and artificial superhydrophobic surfaces are a rapidly growing topic in both academia industry due to their unique properties applications. Numerous techniques have been developed characterize the wetting of such surfaces, as optical contact angle goniometer, force-based methods, microscopic for visualizing interface. However, method that combines nN resolution force measurement with di...

Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM) is a member of the family of Scanning Probe Microscopy, together with the Scanning Tunneling Microscopy (STM) and the Scanning Near-field Optical Microscopy (SNOM). Unlike them, however, it is also a descendent of a popular instrument from the pre-superresolution era, the Stylus Profilometer (SP). The probe tip in the AFM is analogous to the stylus in the SP, with ...

Nowadays, atomic force microscope is considered as a useful tool in the determination of intermolecular forces and surface topography with the resolution of nanometers. In this kind of microscope, micro cantilever is considered as the heart of the microscope and is used as a measuring tool.  This paper is aimed towards investigating the behavior of a piezoelectric micro cantilever with a triang...

In this paper, the design of silicon based cantilevers for scanning probe microscopy has been described in detail. ANSYS software has been used as a tool to design and model the mechanical properties of the silicon based cantilevers. The incorporation of stress concentration regions (SCRs) with a thickness smaller than the cantilever thickness, to localize stresses, has been explored in detail ...

We designed and fabricated a novel AFM probe that significantly improves the signal-to-noise ratio and frequency response over current commercial probes. Our probe is a 20 x 30 μm composite (Si/Si3N4/SiO2) torsion lever with an integrated reflective pad and tip. It has been designed for mass production and can be used in conventional atomic force microscopes without specialized optics. The symm...