Atomic Force Microscopy

Atomic Force Microscopy is part of a growing array of Scanning Probe Microscopy (SPM) techniques. By scanning an AFM tip, of a few nanometers in diameter, over a sample, a three-dimensional view of the surface topology can be obtained with a lateral resolution of 1-2 nm and a vertical resolution of 0.01 nm.

All analyses can be conducted in air without special sample preparation. Even soft, easily damaged materials such as polymers or biological specimens can be imaged. Typically, AFM is used to obtain quantitative, three-dimensional images of surfaces with ultra-high resolution.

AFM provides measurements of surface roughness, grain size, and grain size distribution. AFM techniques have proven to be useful for incoming quality testing, process monitoring, R & D, failure analysis, and reliability testing for the semiconductor, disk drive, optical coating, polymer and biotech industries.