Atomic Force Microscopy

Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM) is used to gain topographic information on a sample. The AFM operates by scanning a sharp silicon tip across the sample surface effectively tracing it. The AFM then combines a series of traced lines or cross-sections to produce a 3D image of the sample. The AFM can also operate in numerous imaging modes which allow the measurement of surface adhesion, stiffness and sample conductivity on the nanoscale. The types of materials analysed by AFM in the FMMA include, for example, 2D materials, nanotubes, nanoparticles, polymers, metals, and semiconductors.

Contact

Instrument Leader: Dr Chris Gibson

Book the standard AFM

Book the AFM with conductivity mapping

Book the fast scan AFM

Instrument details and specifications

FMMA has two Bruker Multimode AFMs and one Bruker Dimension AFM. Capabilities are as follows

Lateral resolution 5-10 nm (dependant on AFM tip diameter, vertical resolution less than 1 nm.
Contact mode
Tapping mode
Force spectroscopy
Peakforce tapping mode
Peakforce TUNA mode – conductance imaging

Application examples

^{An AFM topography image of a flake of graphene. This flake contained single layer and multi-layer graphene ranging in thickness from 0.34 to 1.7 nm and demonstrates the high-resolution capability of these types of microscopes. The cross section underneath the AFM height image corresponds to position of the while line and intersects a flake of single layer graphene.}