Wutscher Elisabeth, Giessibl Franz J
Institute of Experimental and Applied Physics, University of Regensburg, 93040 Regensburg, Germany.
Rev Sci Instrum. 2011 Sep;82(9):093703. doi: 10.1063/1.3633950.
We report on atomic force microscopy (AFM) in ambient and liquid environments with the qPlus sensor, a force sensor based on a quartz tuning fork with an all-electrical deflection measurement scheme. Small amplitudes, stiff sensors with bulk diamond tips and high Q values in air and liquid allow to obtain high resolution images. The noise sources in air and liquid are analyzed and compared for standard silicon cantilevers and qPlus sensors. First, epitaxial graphene was imaged in air, showing atomic steps with 3 Å height and ridges. As a second sample system, measurements on calcite (CaCO(3)) in liquids were performed in water and polyethylenglycol (PEG). We demonstrate high resolution images of steps in PEG on calcite and nanolithography processes, in particular with frequency-modulation AFM the controlled dissolution of calcite monolayers.
我们报告了在环境和液体环境中使用qPlus传感器进行的原子力显微镜（AFM）研究，该传感器是一种基于石英音叉的力传感器，采用全电偏转测量方案。小振幅、带有块状金刚石尖端的刚性传感器以及在空气和液体中的高Q值，使得能够获得高分辨率图像。对标准硅悬臂梁和qPlus传感器在空气和液体中的噪声源进行了分析和比较。首先，在外延石墨烯在空气中成像，显示出高度为3 Å的原子台阶和脊。作为第二个样品系统，在液体中对方解石（CaCO₃）在水和聚乙二醇（PEG）中进行了测量。我们展示了方解石上PEG中台阶的高分辨率图像以及纳米光刻工艺，特别是通过频率调制原子力显微镜实现了方解石单层的可控溶解。
