Controlled manipulation of atoms in insulating surfaces with the virtual atomic force microscope

We predict how single oxygen ions can be manipulated on the MgO (100) surface and demonstrate the possibility of detecting a single-atom event using a noncontact atomic force microscope. The manipulation process is simulated explicitly in real time with a virtual dynamic atomic force microscope including the full response of the instrumentation and demonstrates a strong dependence on temperature. The proposed new atomistic mechanism and protocols for the controlled manipulation of single atoms and vacancies on insulating surfaces may be relevant for anchoring molecules and metal clusters at these surfaces and controlling their electronic properties.     

Features in atomic force microscopy studies of dielectric surfaces

To improve the accuracy of AFM measurements in air and the reproducibility of results, a clean room-based metrological facility has been designed and built. The main function of the facility is to control temperature and humidity in an operation zone in various combinations and to maintain them with high accuracy. Measurements under controlled conditions are particularly important for dielectric materials. It has been shown that special procedures allow one to avoid disturbances caused by static charges on the surface under study, i.e., to remove the already accumulated charge and prevent its appearance during experiments. The use of the proposed procedures makes it possible to adequately study the features of the dielectric surface relief at micro-and nanoscale levels.     

Characterization of electrodeposited nickel film surfaces using atomic force microscopy

Microstructures of nickel surfaces electrodeposited on indium tin oxides coated glasses are investigated using atomic force microscopy. The fractal dimension D and Hurst exponent H of the nickel surface images are determined from a frequency analysis method proposed by Aguilar et al. [J. Microsc. 172 (1993) 233] and from Hurst rescaled range analysis. The two methods are found to give the same value of the fractal dimension D∼2.0. The roughness exponent α and growth exponent β that characterize scaling behaviors of the surface growth in electrodeposition are calculated using the height-difference correlation function and interface width in Fourier space. The exponents of α∼1.0 and β∼0.8 show that the surface growth does not belong to the universality classes theoretically predicted by statistical growth models.     

Strain relaxation at cleaved surfaces studied by atomic force microscopy

Atomic force microscopy (AFM) in air is used to study the (110) cleaved surface of strained (100) In_xGa_1-xAs/ InP heterostructures for different compositions and thicknesses of the ternary compound layers. We find that the elastic strain relaxation induces a surface undulation of a few ? amplitude, even for very small misfits, provided the layers are thick enough. Using finite-element calculations of the strain relaxation near the cleaved edge, we reproduce quantitatively the AFM observations for compressive- as well as for tensile-strained layers with an accuracy better than 0.1 nm. This demonstrates the ability of AFM to quantify strain distributions by making use of surface profile measurements. Received: 9 November 1998 / Accepted: 11 March 1999 / Published online: 7 July 1999     

Etched glass surfaces,atomic force microscopy and stochastic analysis

The effect of etching time scale of glass surface on its statistical properties has been studied using atomic force microscopy technique. We have characterized the complexity of the height fluctuation of an etched surface by the stochastic parameters such as intermittency exponents, roughness, roughness exponents, drift and diffusion coefficients and found their widths in terms of the etching time.     

High-speed atomic force microscopy with phase-detection

In order to improve the scanning speed of tapping mode AFM, we have studied the phase-detection mode AFM with a high frequency (1.5 MHz) cantilever. The phase shifts versus tip-sample distance with different types of samples including polymer, semiconductor, and graphite were measured and the interaction forces were analyzed. It was found that the phase shift in repulsive region is nearly linear as a function of distance, which can be used for feedback control in general, except that some blunt tips cause reversed polarity of phase shift due to excessive energy dissipation. High-speed image with scan rate of 100 Hz was obtained which were controlled with phase shift as a feedback signal.     

Guidelines for the achievement of true atomic resolution with noncontact atomic force microscopy

We investigated the conditions to achieve true atomic resolution with an atomic force microscope under noncontact mode (NC-AFM). At first, we derived the equation of vertical resolution as a function of the signal-to-noise ratio and the decay length of frequency shift by assuming an exponential tip-to-sample distance dependence of frequency shift. Next, by assuming a single atom probe, we derived the equation of lateral resolution as a function of the vertical resolution and the tip-to-sample distance, from which we clarified the guidelines to achieve true atomic resolution with NC-AFM. At last, we made clear the attainable decay length of frequency shift both for the van der Waals potential and the electrostatic (Coulomb) potential.     

Modeling of surfaces of constant force above a lattice of close-packed atoms in the repulsive mode

Surfaces of constant force (force contours) are calculated for the scanning of an AFM tip over a lattice of close-packed atoms in the repulsive mode. It is shown that discontinuities are observed on the force contours in the regions between the atoms of the surface lattice for sufficiently small initial scanning heights of a tip with a single atom at its end. A cluster model of the tip end, which ensures continuity of the scanning at arbitrary initial heights, is constructed. The dependence of the AFM images on the orientation of the cluster on the tip end relative to the crystallographic axes of the surface is investigated for both an unperturbed lattice of close-packed atoms and a lattice containing point defects. The diagnostic possibilities of the findings are discussed. Zh. Tekh. Fiz. 67, 77–85 (June 1997)     

Chaos in atomic force microscopy

Chaotic oscillations of microcantilever tips in dynamic atomic force microscopy (AFM) are reported and characterized. Systematic experiments performed using a variety of microcantilevers under a wide range of operating conditions indicate that softer AFM microcantilevers bifurcate from periodic to chaotic oscillations near the transition from the noncontact to the tapping regimes. Careful Lyapunov exponent and noise titration calculations of the tip oscillation data confirm their chaotic nature. AFM images taken by scanning the chaotically oscillating tips over the sample show small, but significant metrology errors at the nanoscale due to this "deterministic" uncertainty.     

Chemical resolution at ionic crystal surfaces using dynamic atomic force microscopy with metallic tips

We demonstrate that well prepared and characterized Cr tips can provide atomic resolution on the bulk NaCl(001) surface with dynamic atomic force microscopy in the noncontact regime at relatively large tip-sample separations. At these conditions, the surface chemical structure can be resolved yet tip-surface instabilities are absent. Our calculations demonstrate that chemical identification is unambiguous, because the interaction is always largest above the anions. This conclusion is generally valid for other polar surfaces, and can thus provide a new practical route for straightforward interpretation of atomically resolved images.     

Parameterization of the magnetite coating surfaces on low-carbon steel with the use of atomic force microscopy data

The atomic force microscopy (AFM) technique is used to obtain information on the dynamic behavior of the magnetite coating (MC) formed on a steel 3 (St3) sample by chemical oxidation in a solution of ammonium nitrate. Digitized AFM data are the sets of profiles of chaotic roughness obtained via a sensing probe scanning over the surface fragment under study. The flicker noise spectroscopy (FNS) technique is used to analyze AFM images and to select parameters adapted to MC state characterization at the initial stages of formation. The FNS parameters introduced to characterize coating surfaces are calculated from spatial power spectra and transient structure functions. These parameters are considered to be the correlation lengths for different-type irregularities (jumps and spikes). Additionally, dimensionless parameters are introduced to characterize the loss of correlation in a series of irregularities when spatial intervals are substantially less than the correlation lengths. The performed FNS parameterization enabled us to obtain information on the state of the initial surface of St3 samples and to reveal the structural features intrinsic to the surface of MCs formed after different periods of oxidation. This information determines correlations between the elements of the MC structure and characterizes the properties of its microirregularities arising at different stages of coating formation.     

Equilibrium capillary forces with atomic force microscopy

We present measurements of equilibrium forces resulting from capillary condensation. The results give access to the ultralow interfacial tensions between the capillary bridge and the coexisting bulk phase. We demonstrate this with solutions of associative polymers and an aqueous mixture of gelatin and dextran, with interfacial tensions around 10 microN/m. The equilibrium nature of the capillary forces is attributed to the combination of a low interfacial tension and a microscopic confinement geometry, based on nucleation and growth arguments.     

Kinetic contrast in atomic force microscopy

The mechanism of the formation of phase contrast in atomic force microscopy (AFM) is studied for various conditions of an oscillating tip interacting with the surface. A phase shift is detected in oscillations of the resonating AFM tip during its interaction with the substrate surface when the AFM tip moves over the surface. We substantiate kinetic mechanism of the formation of phase contrast in AFM, which is initiated when the velocity of the AFM tip moving over the substrate surface increases as a result of increasing friction force. A dependence of the kinetic contrast in AFM on the effective roughness of the surface is discovered. Images of the distribution of copper impurity over the silicon surface under atmospheric conditions are obtained using the method of kinetic phase contrast in AFM.     

原子力显微镜扫描成像DNA分子

采用Mg2+处理DNA、APTES或戊二醛修饰云母表面、DNA拉直方法制备了λ-DNA及DNA-组蛋白复合物样品.室温下原子力显微镜以轻敲模式在空气中扫描样品成像.实验结果表明:AFM扫描成像的效果与样品的制备方法有关,同时也受操作因素影响.     

Polymer tips for application of atomic force microscopy

A hydrophobic polymer tip for atomic force microscopy has been fabricated by two-photon adsorbed photopolymerization techniques and has been applied for the high resolution imaging of a hydrophilic metal surface. Using optimized photopolymerization conditions, we have succeeded in fabricating sub-100-nm sized polymer tips. This fabricating resolution of two-photon adsorbed photopolymerization is also confirmed by other supporting experiments. The imaging results show that the capillary-force-induced image distortion can be successfully removed by applying a pure hydrophobic polymer tip with a lateral resolution better than 5 nm, which is difficult to achieve with a commercial tip without any environmental control.     

Theory of multifrequency atomic force microscopy

We develop a theory that explains the origin of the high force sensitivity observed in multifrequency force microscopy experiments. The ability of the microscope to extract complementary information on the surface properties is increased by the simultaneous excitation of several flexural cantilever modes. The force sensitivity in multifrequency operation is about 0.2 pN. The analytical model identifies the virial and the energy dissipated by the tip-surface forces as the parameters responsible for the material contrast. The agreement obtained among the theory, experiments and numerical simulations validates the model.     

原子力显微术研究进展

原子力显微术是微纳米尺度实空间形貌成像与结构表征的关键技术之一。近些年,原子力显微术衍生发展出了一系列令人瞩目的功能化探测模式和新技术。文章从以下两个方面论述了原子力显微术的前沿进展：(1)原子力显微术的功能化探测模式及其在微纳米尺度物性研究与测量以及微纳加工等领域的应用;(2)原子力显微术自身在更高精度、更高分辨率、更快速度、更多功能等方面的进展及在基础和应用研究领域中的应用。文章还展望了原子力显微术的下一步发展方向和正在不断扩展的研究领域。     

Time-frequency modeling of atomic force microscopy

Atomic force microscopy is modeled in the time-frequency phase space. In this phase space it is equivalent to a succession of temporal lenses and free spaces which includes a temporal fractional Fourier device. Then, the Wigner transform and its second order moments are introduced to model the atomic force microscopy as a detector of ultrafast electrical signals.