Resonance oscillation damping of a scanning microscope probe by a near-surface viscous liquid layer

Viscous liquid layer motion between a probe with a tip shaped as a paraboloid of revolution and a surface is considered for semicontact-mode operation of a scanning probe microscope. The presence of a viscous liquid layer leads to energy dissipation and is one of the factors responsible for the decrease in the probe oscillation amplitude. The Reynolds equation for viscous liquid motion is used to obtain an analytic solution to the problem. The formula derived for the loss is compared with experimental data obtained for probes and layers with various curvature radii and viscosities.