[nanoPost] Kit for Evaluating and Cleaning Atomic Force Microscopy Tips

Research Centre Canada

Background

Atomic force microscopy (AFM) measures real space features with a nanometer-scale resolution. The image obtained by AFM is a result of the interactive force between the tip apex and sample surface features. The resolution or quality of the image is in part determined by the size of the tip apex. When a tip is contaminated or damaged so that the effective tip size becomes larger, the quality of the image is reduced and the data becomes misleading. It would be advantageous to have a “standard” sample to ensure that the obtained image represents the surface as accurately as possible. A standard sample must meet the following three conditions to handle the task: 1) a nanometer-scale morphology to check the tip performance; 2) low surface energy to protect the tip from being contaminated in the evaluation process; and 3) softness to protect the tip from being damaged.

Description of the Invention

We have found and extensively evaluated a material that addresses the above criteria. Biaxally-oriented polypropylene (BOPP) film is perfect for evaluating AFM tips. The size of the fibers on our BOPP film surface are ~ 30nm; the surface energy is ~ 30 mJ/m2 (smaller than surface tension of water at 72 mJ/m2) and Young’s modulus is 12 GPa (smaller than that of Si at 132-190 GPa). Further, our inventors have developed a kit that may be used as an in situ tip evaluator and cleaner. This technique is unique and extremely useful for anyone using AFM.

Advantages

The present invention presents a number of competitive advantages, including:

1. ability to evaluate and clean AFM tips

2. reduced risk of tip damage and/or contamination

3. ensures that AFM images are as close to the “true” surface features as possible This nanoPost is premium content.

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