AFM probe
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AFM probe
Consumable and measuring device with a sharp tip on the free swinging end of a cantilever which is protruding from a holder plate used in Atomic force microscopes (AFM).[1] The dimensions of the cantilever are in the scale of micrometers. The radius of the tip is in the scale of a few nanometers. The holder plate, also called holder chip, - often 1.6 mm by 3.4 mm in size - allows the operator to hold the AFM probe with tweezers and fit it into the corresponding holder clips on the scanning head of the Atomic force microscope.
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Contents
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How it works
As the tip is approached very closely to the surface of the investigated object, the cantilever is deflected. The deflection is a function of the interaction between the tip and the surface and the Atomic force microscope has a function to measure this deflection. If the deflection is measured at many points of a 2D surface, this interaction can be mapped spatially.
Use
Several types of interaction can be detected. Depending on the interaction under investigation, the surface of the tip of the AFM probe needs to be modified with a coating. Among the coatings used are gold - for covalent bonding of biological molecules and the detection of their interaction with a surface,[2] diamond for increased wear resistance[3] and magnetic coatings for detecting the magnetic properties of the investigated surface.[4]
The surface of the cantilevers can also be modified. These coatings are mostly applied in order to increase the reflectance of the cantilever and to improve the deflection signal.
Fabrication
AFM probes are manufactured with MEMS technology. Most AFM probes used are made from silicon (Si). Borosilicate glass, silicon nitride are other materials in use.
Additional information
Full description and list of all kinds of AFM Tips and AFM Cantilevers.
Naming
"AFM probe" is the most popular name in use for this device. Other names include "AFM tip" and "cantilever" - employing the name of a single part as the name of the whole device. "AFM probes" are part of the "Scanning probe microscopy" or "SPM" probes.
References
- ^ Bryant, P. J.; Miller, R. G.; Yang, R.; Scanning tunneling and atomic force microscopy combined. Applied Physics Letters, Jun 1988, Vol: 52 Issue:26, p. 2233 - 2235, ISSN: 0003-6951.
- ^ Oscar H. Willemsen, Margot M.E. Snel, Alessandra Cambi, Jan Greve, Bart G. De Grooth and Carl G. Figdor Biomolecular Interactions Measured by Atomic Force Microscopy. Biophysical Journal, Volume 79, Issue 6, December 2000, Pages 3267-3281.
- ^ Koo-Hyun Chung and Dae-Eun Kim, Wear characteristics of diamond-coated atomic force microscope probe Ultramicroscopy, Volume 108, Issue 1, December 2007, Pages 1-10
- ^ Xin Xu and Arvind Raman, Comparative dynamics of magnetically, acoustically, and Brownian motion driven microcantilevers in liquids J. Appl. Phys. 102, 034303 (2007)
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