Tip steering of the Atomic Force Microscope.

Abstract

The Atomic Force Microscope (AFM) is a powerful tool for the imaging of extremely small objects on the scale of nanometers, like carbon nanotubes and strands of DNA. There currently is a need for methods to actively steer the probe tip of the AFM in order to greatly reduce the time required to image certain samples. This paper proposes a tip steering method that utilizes the vertical feedback information from the AFM sensor as well as the dimensions of the sample object to determine and maintain a scanning trajectory. A comparison of similar trajectory tracking methods is also presented. The AFM system and operation is discussed in order to justify the tip steering method. Finally, the method proposed is successfully simulated with a DNA strand sample in the presence of measurement noise.