State Key Laboratory of Modern Optical Instrumentation, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310027, People's Republic of China.
Microsc Res Tech. 2011 Nov;74(11):1058-61. doi: 10.1002/jemt.20994. Epub 2011 Apr 11.
A large-sample atomic force microscope (AFM) that allows high resolution observation in both air and liquid has been developed. With a unique beam tracking method, laser beam is capable of reflecting off the same spot on the AFM cantilever throughout raster scan over the entire scan area, either operating in air or in liquid environment. Incorporating the stand-alone AFM probe unit with an automated large sample stage, wide-scan-range imaging can be realized with high resolution and slight distortion. In addition, an image stitching method is utilized to build a broad merged image with range up to millimeters while keeping nanometer order resolution. By using a large-volume liquid bath, large and massive sample can be observed in liquid with this AFM system. Several typical experiments have been carried out to demonstrate the imaging ability and stability of this AFM. Topographic structures of gold pattern on a glass substrate are scanned at two different places on the same specimen surface. The porosity of a sheet of filter paper is then characterized in both air and water. Finally, larger-area AFM image of anodic aluminum oxide template in oxalic acid is on spot obtained by merging several individually scanned images together. Experiments show that this AFM system can offer high resolution and wide range AFM images even for large samples with remarkable capabilities in various environments.
一种新型的大样品原子力显微镜（AFM）已经被开发出来，它允许在空气和液体两种环境中进行高分辨率观察。该 AFM 采用独特的光束跟踪方法，使激光束能够在整个扫描区域的光栅扫描过程中，始终从 AFM 悬臂的同一位置反射，无论在空气还是液体环境中操作。通过将独立的 AFM 探头单元与自动化大样品台相结合，可以实现具有高分辨率和轻微变形的宽扫描范围成像。此外，还采用了图像拼接方法，通过使用大容量液体浴，该 AFM 系统可以对大尺寸和大质量的样品进行液体成像。进行了几个典型的实验来演示该 AFM 的成像能力和稳定性。在同一试样表面的两个不同位置上扫描金图案的玻璃基底的形貌结构。然后，在空气和水中分别对滤纸的孔径进行了特征化。最后，通过将几个单独扫描的图像合并在一起，在草酸中对阳极氧化铝模板的大面积 AFM 图像进行了现场获取。实验表明，即使对于具有各种环境中显著能力的大样品，该 AFM 系统也能提供高分辨率和宽范围的 AFM 图像。
