Lateral Resonance Mode Atomic Force Microscopy
Ing-Shouh Hwang
“High-sensitivity imaging with lateral resonance mode atomic force microscopy”, Nanoscale 8, 18421 (2016)
Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM) has been widely used to characterize the morphology and mechanical properties of material surfaces. The Surface and Nanoscience Lab led by Ing-Shouh Hwang in collaboration with the group of Prof. Kuang-Yuh Huang in National Taiwan University have developed a new AFM technique, lateral resonance (LR) mode. In this mode, the AFM cantilever is oscillated in a lateral resonance, in contrast with the vertical resonance in the typical tapping mode. The LR mode was not considered in AFM operation because it was believed that LR cannot be detected. This study shows that the presence of a large tip is the major factor causing LR to be detected with current AFM setup. The LR mode allows high-sensitivity imaging of the sample morphology and high-resolution measurement of lateral mechanical properties of the sample. It complements the tapping mode, which allows detection of vertical mechanical properties. Particularly, the LR has a high quality factor and a very high resonance frequency, which are beneficial for high-speed AFM operation.
