Miyata Kazuki, Usho Satoshi, Yamada Satoshi, Furuya Shoji, Yoshida Kiyonori, Asakawa Hitoshi, Fukuma Takeshi
Division of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, Kanazawa University, Kakuma-machi, Kanazawa 920-1192, Japan.
Rev Sci Instrum. 2013 Apr;84(4):043705. doi: 10.1063/1.4802262.
We have developed a liquid-environment atomic force microscope with a wideband and low-noise scanning system for atomic-scale imaging of dynamic processes at solid/liquid interfaces. The developed scanning system consists of a separate-type scanner and a wideband high-voltage amplifier (HVA). By separating an XY-sample scanner from a Z-tip scanner, we have enabled to use a relatively large sample without compromising the high resonance frequency. We compared various cantilever- and sample-holding mechanisms by experiments and finite element analyses for optimizing the balance between the usability and frequency response characteristics. We specifically designed the HVA to drive the developed scanners, which enabled to achieve the positioning accuracy of 5.7 and 0.53 pm in the XY and Z axes, respectively. Such an excellent noise performance allowed us to perform atomic-resolution imaging of mica and calcite in liquid. Furthermore, we demonstrate in situ and atomic-resolution imaging of the calcite crystal growth process in water.
我们开发了一种配备宽带低噪声扫描系统的液体环境原子力显微镜，用于对固/液界面的动态过程进行原子尺度成像。所开发的扫描系统由分离式扫描仪和宽带高压放大器（HVA）组成。通过将XY样品扫描仪与Z探针扫描仪分离，我们能够在不影响高共振频率的情况下使用相对较大的样品。我们通过实验和有限元分析比较了各种悬臂和样品固定机制，以优化可用性和频率响应特性之间的平衡。我们专门设计了HVA来驱动所开发的扫描仪，在XY和Z轴上分别实现了5.7皮米和0.53皮米的定位精度。如此出色的噪声性能使我们能够在液体中对云母和方解石进行原子分辨率成像。此外，我们展示了方解石晶体在水中生长过程的原位原子分辨率成像。
