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Demonstration of Atomic Force Microscopy - MTech-IITG

The document demonstrates the use of atomic force microscopy to determine the surface roughness of a sample. It describes the basic principles, components, operation modes and sample requirements of atomic force microscopy. Images of a sample are analyzed to measure the surface roughness in nanometers.

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Nagaraju Racha
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22 views5 pages

Demonstration of Atomic Force Microscopy - MTech-IITG

The document demonstrates the use of atomic force microscopy to determine the surface roughness of a sample. It describes the basic principles, components, operation modes and sample requirements of atomic force microscopy. Images of a sample are analyzed to measure the surface roughness in nanometers.

Uploaded by

Nagaraju Racha
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Demonstration of Atomic Force Microscopy

Aim
Determination of sample surface roughness using an atomic force microscopy.
Introduction
The atomic force microscopy (AFM) is a subcategory of scanning probe
microscopy (SPM). SPMs are instruments that use a raster-scanning tip to
measure surface properties such as the local height, friction, electronic or
magnetic properties, and construct a map of this data to form an image. Basically,
an AFM is a kind of scanning probe microscope in which a 3D (three
dimensional) topographical image of the sample surface on a nanoscale can be
achieved based on the interactions between a tip and a sample surface. It is a
versatile and powerful tool for imaging and measuring small-scale objects such
as nanoparticles, single molecules, semiconductor devices and living cells and
can obtain images with atomic resolutions of 10-10 m or one tenth of nanometre.

Principle
The AFM measures the forces acting between a fine tip and a sample. The tip is
attached to the free end of a spring cantilever and is brought very close to a
surface. When the tip is brought within the interatomic separation between the tip
and sample, interatomic potentials are developed between the atoms of the tip and
the atoms of the surface, resulting into attractive or repulsive forces. As the tip
scans the surface of the sample, the force between the tip and the sample varies
which is sensed by the tip. The amount of force between the probe and the sample
is dependent on the spring constant of the cantilever and the distance between the
probe and the sample surface. This force can be characterized with Hooke’s Law.
F= - k·x
F = Force
k = spring constant
x = cantilever deflection
If the spring constant of cantilever (typically ~ 0.1-1 N/m) is less than surface,
cantilever bends and the deflection is monitored.
Detection Laser

Quadrant
Photodiode

Attraction or Repulsion
Sample

Figure 1: Working principle of atomic force microscopy

As the tip travels across the sample, it moves up and down according to the
surface properties of the sample (eg. topography). These fluctuations are sourced
by the interactions (electrostatic, magnetic, capillary, Van der Waals forces)
between the tip and the sample. Accordingly, the bending of tip is then detected
by means of a laser beam, which is reflected from the backside of the cantilever.
The laser beam gets constantly reflected towards a position-sensitive
photodetector consisting of four side by-side photodiodes. This laser beam
detects the bend occurring in the cantilever and calculates the actual position of
the cantilever. The vertical deflection measures the interaction forces while the
horizontal deflection measures the lateral forces. Thus, AFM records a three-
dimensional image of the surface topography of the sample under a constant
applied force (as low as nano Newton range).
Components of atomic force microscope
1. Probe tip
2. Cantilever
3. Optical microscope
4. Laser source
5. Sample stage
6. Piezoelectric scanner
7. Position sensitive photodiode
8. Feedback control loop
9. Computer

optical lens

Figure 2: General components of atomic force microscopy

Operation modes of atomic force microscope


• Contact mode

In contact mode, the tip is in a soft physical contact with the surface. The
movement is strongly influenced by frictional and adhesive forces that can cause
damage to the sample. The force on the tip is repulsive. By maintaining a constant
cantilever deflection (using the feedback loops) the force between the probe and
the sample remains constant and an image of the surface is obtained.

• Dynamic (Tapping) Mode

This mode eliminates the frictional force by intermittently contacting the surface
and oscillating with sufficient amplitude to prevent it from being trapped in by
adhesive forces. The force on the tip is attractive. An electronic feedback loop
provides the oscillation amplitude remaining constant so that a constant tip-
sample interaction is conserved during the scan.

• Non-Contact Mode

In this mode tip does not touch the sample, however it oscillates above the surface
during scan. It uses feedback loop to have a constant amplitude.

Sample Requirements

• Requires a substrate: flat and smooth


1. Glass coverslip (used for demonstration)/slide
2. Mica
3. Highly ordered pyrolytic graphite
4. Silicon

• Sample types
Thick and thin polymeric films, coatings (protein: using a spin coater;
shown in demonstration video), ceramics, composites, glasses, synthetic
and biological membranes, metals and semiconductors.

Sample Preparation

Coating (Spin coating, shown in demonstration video) deposition or


adsorption on the substrate. Atomic force microscope can be performed in a
vacuum, ambient, gas or liquid environment.

Mica (negatively-charged) – DNA, proteins (strong electrolytic interaction)


Graphite (hydrophobic) – proteins
Glass coverslips – Proteins/cells (coating/attachment)
Polystyrene petri dishes – cells (Attachment
Observations

Figure 3: Analysis of surface topography: (A) 2D image, (B) Topology Plot, (C)
3D Image and (D) Measurement of Surface Roughness

The surface roughness of the sample is Ra: 1.19 nm (average value) and Rq:1.46
nm (Root mean square value).

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