Atomic Force Microscopy - Overview and Recent Developments

Presented by John Thornton, Senior Applications Engineer, Bruker Nano Surfaces

The field of Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM) encompasses a variety of techniques that provide the ability to visualize and measure surfaces at high resolution in three dimensions in air and fluid environments. A common application of AFM is the study of surface morphology and dimensional measurements of heights, widths, and roughness, down to sub-nanometer resolution in some cases. However, AFMs are also frequently used to measure mechanical properties, such as modulus and adhesion, as well as electrical properties, such as current or work function of materials. The combination of these abilities produces a wide range of measurements and properties that can be studied with a single AFM. Furthermore, the ability of the AFM to make measurements in a fluid environment at the nanoscale makes it unique, and is often used for biological and electrochemical studies. This presentation will concentrate on providing an overview of the AFM techniques and applications, with an emphasis on the capabilities of the AFM instruments at UW-Madison.

John Thornton is a Senior Applications Engineer at Bruker Nano Surfaces with 25+ years of experience in the field of Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM). He learned AFM at North Carolina State University in the 1990s, and then joined Digital Instruments, a pioneering company in early AFM development, and continued with the company through acquisitions by Veeco Instruments, and then Bruker. John has co-authored many scientific publications and developed scanning probe microscopy training courses. Currently, John spends a significant amount of time running AFMs and educating others on techniques.  Contact email: John.Thornton@bruker.com

Project Highlight:

AFM Characterization of 3D Thin Films Crystallized by Solid Phase Epitaxy
Presented by Rui Lui, Graduate Student, Materials Science and Engineering, UW–Madison

At present, the synthesis of crystalline oxide materials in the form of nanostructures and thin films largely employs epitaxial growth techniques that are highly developed and widely used, but which are limited in planner geometry because of the rapid surface diffusion in conventional epitaxial growth techniques. These limitations can be alleviated by crystallization of amorphous complex oxides via solid phase epitaxy (SPE), in which diffusive processes during crystallization are largely suppressed. SPE enables a wide range of opportunities in the formation of oxide materials in new geometries like 3D thin films. Study of the surface morphology using AFM at different stages of SPE help us understand the crystallization process from amorphous form, kinetics of nucleation and crystal growth. We will also briefly discuss how AFM can contribute to the characterization of lateral crystallization, which is critical in forming 3D nano structures via SPE.