Tip motion in amplitude modulation (tapping-mode) atomic-force microscopy: Comparison between continuous and point-mass models

Tomás R. Rodrı́guez, Ricardo Garcı́a
2002 Applied Physics Letters  
We discuss the influence of high-order frequency components in the operation of an amplitude modulation atomic-force microscope ͑AFM͒. A comparative study of point-mass and continuous models is performed to describe the tip motion. The tip-surface interaction force excites high-order frequency components whenever a higher harmonic of the excitation force is close to an eigenmode of the cantilever beam. The strength of those components depends on the set point amplitude and the fundamental
more » ... nce frequency of the cantilever. However, for standard operating conditions with quality factors in the 10 2 -10 3 range, higher-order components are about three orders of magnitude smaller than the component at the excitation frequency. We conclude that point-mass models are suitable to describe the operation of a tapping-mode AFM in air environments.
doi:10.1063/1.1456543 fatcat:mftnbiqr4rdytkp2ejx4dkyy4e