Harmonic cantilevers and imaging methods for atomic force microscopy
US6935167B1 · kind B1 · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Mar 15, 2004 |
| Grant date | Aug 30, 2005 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Mar 15, 2024 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC Y)Emerging Cross-Sectional Technologies
- CPC primaryY10S977/873
- WIPO fieldMeasurement
- WIPO sectorInstruments
Abstract
A harmonic cantilever for use in a tapping-mode atomic force microscope includes a cantilever arm and a probe tip. The cantilever arm has a shape selected to tune the fundamental resonance frequency or a resonance frequency of a selected higher order mode so that the fundamental and higher-order resonance frequencies have an integer ratio or near integer ratio. In one embodiment, the cantilever arm can be shaped to tune the fundamental resonance frequency. Alternately, the cantilever arm can include a geometric feature for tuning the resonance frequency of the fundamental mode or the selected higher order mode. An imaging method using the harmonic cantilever is disclosed whereby signals at the higher harmonics are measured to determine the material properties of a sample. In other embodiment, a cantilever includes a probe tip positioned at a location of minimum displacement of unwanted harmonics for suppressing signals associated with the unwanted harmonics.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.