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Atomic force microscopy cantilever simulation by finite element methods for quantitative atomic force acoustic microscopy measurements

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  03 March 2011

F.J. Espinoza Beltrán
Affiliation:
Centro de Investigación y Estudios Avanzados del IPN. Unidad Querétaro, 76001 Querétaro, Qro., México; and Hamburg University of Technology, Advanced Ceramics Group, 21073 Hamburg, Germany
J. Muñoz-Saldaña*
Affiliation:
Centro de Investigación y Estudios Avanzados del IPN. Unidad Querétaro, 76001 Querétaro, Qro., México
D. Torres-Torres
Affiliation:
Centro de Investigación y Estudios Avanzados del IPN. Unidad Querétaro, 76001 Querétaro, Qro., México
R. Torres-Martínez
Affiliation:
Centro de Investigación en Ciencia Aplicada y Tecnología Avanzada del IPN. Unidad Querétaro, 76040, Querétaro, Qro., México
G.A. Schneider
Affiliation:
Hamburg University of Technology, Advanced Ceramics Group, 21073 Hamburg, Germany
*
a) Address all correspondence to this author. e-mail: jmunoz@qro.cinvestav.mx
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Abstract

Measurements of vibrational spectra of atomic force microscopy (AFM) microprobes in contact with a sample allow a good correlation between resonance frequencies shifts and the effective elastic modulus of the tip-sample system. In this work we use finite element methods for modeling the AFM microprobe vibration considering actual features of the cantilever geometry. This allowed us to predict the behavior of the cantilevers in contact with any sample for a wide range of effective tip-sample stiffness. Experimental spectra for glass and chromium were well reproduced for the numerical model, and stiffness values were obtained. We present a method to correlate the experimental resonance spectrum to the effective stiffness using realistic geometry of the cantilever to numerically model the vibration of the cantilever in contact with a sample surface. Thus, supported in a reliable finite element method (FEM) model, atomic force acoustic microscopy can be a quantitative technique for elastic-modulus measurements. Considering the possibility of tip-apex wear during atomic force acoustic microscopy measurements, it is necessary to perform a calibration procedure to obtain the tip-sample contact areas before and after each measurement.

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Copyright
Copyright © Materials Research Society 2006

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