Mechanical Engineering and Applied Mechanics, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, 19104, USA.
Material Science & Engineering, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, 19104, USA.
Small. 2021 Dec;17(51):e2102979. doi: 10.1002/smll.202102979. Epub 2021 Oct 28.
In atomic force microscopy, the cantilever probe is a critical component whose properties determine the resolution and speed at which images with nanoscale resolution can be obtained. Traditional cantilevers, which have moderate resonant frequencies and high quality factors, have relatively long response times and low bandwidths. In addition, cantilevers can be easily damaged by excessive deformation, and tips can be damaged by wear, requiring them to be replaced frequently. To address these issues, new cantilever probes that have hollow cross-sections and walls of nanoscale thicknesses made of alumina deposited by atomic layer deposition are introduced. It is demonstrated that the probes exhibit spring constants up to ≈100 times lower and bandwidths up to ≈50 times higher in air than their typical solid counterparts, allowing them to react to topography changes more quickly. Moreover, it is shown that the enhanced robustness of the hollow cantilevers enables them to withstand large bending displacements more readily and to be more resistant to tip wear.
在原子力显微镜中，悬臂探针是一个关键组件，其性能决定了可以获得纳米分辨率图像的分辨率和速度。传统的悬臂梁具有适中的共振频率和较高的品质因数，但响应时间相对较长，带宽较低。此外，悬臂梁容易因过度变形而损坏，并且尖端容易因磨损而损坏，因此需要经常更换。为了解决这些问题，引入了具有中空横截面和由原子层沉积沉积的纳米级厚度氧化铝制成的壁的新型悬臂探针。结果表明，与典型的实心探针相比，这些探针在空气中的弹性常数低约 100 倍，带宽高约 50 倍，从而可以更快地响应形貌变化。此外，还表明，中空悬臂梁的增强鲁棒性使其更容易承受大的弯曲位移，并且更能抵抗尖端磨损。
