Nanoscope IV Multimode AFM
Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM) probes the physical and chemical characteristics of a surface under both ambient and fluid conditions.
Surface topography with simultaneous phase or friction mapping can detect variations in surface composition, friction, adhesion and viscoelastic properties with nanoscale resolution.
Contact Mode AFM
Contact Mode AFM measures topography by sliding a tip attached to a cantilever over a surface. The tip is in direct contact with the sample, therefore variations in topography cause deflections in the cantilever which are converted into height information.
Tapping Mode AFM
Tapping Mode AFM measures topography by lightly tapping the surface with an oscillating tip. Variations in oscillation amplitude of the cantilever are used to map the surface. Tapping mode AFM eliminates lateral forces that can damage soft samples and improves the spatial resolution.
Friction Force Microscopy (FFM)
Friction Force Microscopy (FFM) uses the lateral deflection of the cantilever to map the frictional properties of a surface. This mode can also be used as a quantitative tool for analysing surfaces using their friction coefficients.
A tapping mode AFM image of SNOM lines written on plasma polymerised tetraglyme showed the full width half maximum of these lines to be 338 nm and the depth to be ca. 10 nm.
