Self-driving capacitive cantilevers for high-frequency atomic force microscopy

Brown, Keith A.; Yang, Benjamin H.; Westervelt, R. M.

doi:doi:10.1063/1.3679684

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Tapping-mode force spectroscopy using cantilevers with interferometric high-bandwidth force sensors

We quantitatively map the surface forces and elastic modulus in tapping-mode atomic force microscopy (AFM). To achieve this, we use custom-built cantilevers with interferometric high-bandwidth force sensors that can resolve nonlinear tip-sample interaction forces, combined with a set of algorithms to process the force sensor signals in real-time. Our technique achieves quantitative mechanical measurements, while retaining nanoscale spatial resolution and minimal loading forces in tapping-mode A...

Structural phase transition of graphene caused by GaN epitaxy

We report first-principles predictions, where the structure of graphene changes drastically with the epitaxial growth of GaN (which has been performed experimentally). We identify GaN-×/graphene-2 × 2 superstructure as the most probable interface atomic structure, where three C-C bonds are replaced with C-N-C bonds preserving the Dirac cones. As the GaN epitaxy proceeds expanding graphene gradually, the tensile strain for graphene is released suddenly by partial breaking of the C-bond network, ...

We demonstrate a simple way to actuate an atomic force microscope cantilever at high frequencies by electrically driving a thin-film capacitor on its surface. Capacitive driving directly actuates the vibrational mode of the cantilever, removing the effects of unwanted mechanical modes present in conventional driving systems and removing the need for a drive piezoelectric. Practical vibration amplitudes are attainable at drive voltages <5 V. We capacitively drive the first mechanical resonance of a tapping mode cantilever (243 kHz) and a high-frequency cantilever (1.5 MHz) with vibration amplitudes in agreement with our model of capacitive driving.

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KEYWORDS, PACS, and IPC

Keywords

atomic force microscopy, cantilevers, thin film capacitors, vibrational modes

PACS

07.79.Lh

Atomic force microscopes
84.32.Tt

Capacitors

International Patent Classification (IPC)

H01G4/00
Fixed capacitors; Processes of their manufacture
H01G4/33
Thin- or thick-film capacitors

ARTICLE DATA

Digital Object Identifier

http://dx.doi.org/10.1063/1.3679684

PUBLICATION DATA

ISSN

0003-6951 (print)

1077-3118 (online)

Publisher

$abstract.society.value is a Member of CrossRef

American Institute of Physics

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