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Unit 2.3 AFM and STM

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24 views21 pages

Unit 2.3 AFM and STM

Uploaded by

venky
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© © All Rights Reserved
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Requirement Scanning Probe Microscope

• true atomic resolution


• 3D image
• Clear measurement of the depth

Atomic Force Microscopy Scanning Tunneling Microscopy


Electrostatic force of attraction Conducting surface, bias voltage

Micron sized protusions


Surface roughness analysis
Three dimensional imaging
scanning near-field
optical microscopy
Atomic Force Microscopy
high-resolution non-optical imaging technique Binnig, Quate and Gerber in 1985

accurate and non-destructive measurements of the


topographical, electrical, magnetic, chemical, optical,
mechanical, etc. properties of a sample surface with
very high resolution

Atomic : atomic resolution using cantilever


Force: quantifys force between the probe and sample
Microscopy Magnifies image of the sample

Interaction between atoms and molecules


Vanderwaals forces
Induced dipole
three main principles:
1. surface sensing - sharp tip of
cantilever interacts with surface

2. detection – laser beam directed at


the top of the cantilever
position-sensitive photodiode (PSPD)

3. Imaging – scanning the cantilever-


maintain laser position-generation
of accurate topographic image
Main Components of the AFM System
Scanning probe: Cantilever and Tips silicon or silicon nitride
Cantilever - micrometer-scale dimensions - flexible beam supporting the
probe and enabling its free movement.
Tip - nanometer-sized tip,
performance characteristic - stiffness, flexibility, resolution, and chemical
sensitivity- depends on properties of an AFM probe (length, shape, and
material)
Selecting the right probe properties allows the optimization of AFM imaging
and measurements for particular samples and experiments
• Touches the surface of sample
to find topography
• 5-25 nm
• Resolution depends on tip
dimension
• Can also do manipulation
• Remove or deposit atoms
• Dip pen nanolithography
• Coating on cantilever- MFM,
EFM, SCM
• low spring constant so it
deforms to small forces
Transducers
Electromechanical transducers - piezoelectric ceramic material.

Piezoelectric materials change their shape when subjected to an


electric field, and the amount and direction of this motion determine
the AFM measurements.

Force Sensor
Measures the minute forces between the probe and the sample surface.
The motion of the cantilever is detected using the light lever method,
where light reflects off the backside of the cantilever onto a
photodetector to measure the motion.
Beam Bounce Method
Feedback Loop Control
Use of laser deflector to regulate force interactions and probe
positions.
A laser beam reflects off the cantilever into a photodetector, and as
the tip scans the surface, the laser spot position shifts, feeding back
to the z-piezo controls to adjust tip height in real time, maintaining
the desired force. This closed-loop feedback enables precise
tracking and quantitative measurement by regulating the probe
position relative to the sample topology.
Scanning Stage
platform designed to hold the sample and facilitate its movement
relative to the probe.
It is usually constructed from a lightweight and rigid material, such
as aluminum, and is equipped with precision motors or piezoelectric
actuators capable of making highly precise and small incremental
movements of the sample.

Control and Data Acquisition System


Modes of AFM Operation

two basic modes : Static or Contact Mode

Dynamic Mode.
Tapping or Intermittent Contact
Non-Contact Mode

.
depending on the
interaction forces
between the AFM
tip and the surface
Contact Mode,
the AFM probe tip is scanned across the sample
surface
The feedback system aims to maintain constant AFM
cantilever deflection and consequently a constant
interaction force.
maintaining constant contact
The forces between the AFM tip and the surface are
repulsive

Soft AFM cantilevers with force constants ≤1N/m are


usually used in order to minimize AFM tip wear and
surface damage and in order to increase sensitivity.
Tapping Mode,
the AFM probe cantilever is oscillated by a piezoelectric actuator
at or near its fundamental resonance frequency

The AFM probe is lowered towards the sample surface so that


the AFM probe tip slightly touches the surface at the lower end
of the AFM cantilever oscillation and its oscillation amplitude is
damped.
The feedback loop maintains a constant AFM cantilever
oscillation amplitude and hence a constant interaction force. The
forces that dominate the interaction between the AFM tip and the
surface are repulsive
Scanning Tunneling Microscopy
• first generation of scanning probe microscopy (SPM)
• atom-resolution images of electrically conductive surfaces as
well as their local electric structures
Gerd Binnig and Heinrich Rohrer-Nobel Prize in Physics
in 1986.
If the separation between the tip and the surface
(ideal one-dimensional tunneling barrier )
the tunneling probability, or the tunneling current I,
will depend

1. the distance between the tip and surface,


2. electron mass,
3. the electron charge
4. the averaged work function of the tip and the sample
5. bias voltage.
STM operation process,
1. the tip is scanning across the surface of sample in x-y plain,
2. the instrument records the x-y position of the tip,
3. measures the tunneling current
4. controls the height of the tip via a feedback circuit.
5. The movements of the tip in x, y and z directions are all
controlled by piezo ceramics,
two modes of operation for STM,
1. constant height mode
2. constant current mode

In constant height mode, the tip stays at a constant


height when it scans through the sample, and the
tunneling current is measured at different (x, y)
position
For Smooth surface the feedback control

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