2013/03/31 by Daniel S. Wastl, Alfred J. Weymouth, Franz J. Giessibl +1 · 2 citations
Chemical Engineering · Physics and Astronomy · #Analytical Chemistry and Sensors #Force Microscopy Techniques and Applications #Mechanical and Optical Resonators #cond-mat.mes-hall
paper · pdf · doi:10.1103/physrevb.87.245415
published as Phys. Rev. B 87, 245415 (2013)
arxiv created 2013/05/28 · openalex publication_date 2013/06/12 · arxiv updated 2014/02/24 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/08/01
Ambient operation poses a challenge to AFM because in contrast to operation in vacuum or liquid environments, the cantilever dynamics change dramatically from oscillating in air to oscillating in a hydration layer when probing the sample. We demonstrate atomic resolution by imaging of the KBr(001) surface in ambient conditions by frequency-modulation atomic force microscopy with a cantilever based on a quartz tuning fork (qPlus sensor) and analyze both long- and short-range contributions to the damping. The thickness of the hydration layer increases with relative humidity, thus varying humidity enables us to study the in uence of the hydration layer thickness on cantilever damping. Starting with measurements of damping versus amplitude, we analyzed the signal and the noise characteristics at the atomic scale. We then determined the optimal amplitude which enabled us to acquire high-quality atomically resolved images.