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Breaking the speed limit with atomic force microscopy

L M Picco1, L Bozec2, A Ulcinas1, D J Engledew1, M Antognozzi1, M A Horton2 and M J Miles1

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High-speed atomic force microscopy (AFM) is important for following processes that occur on sub-second timescales for studies both in biology and materials science, and also for the ability to examine large areas of a specimen at high resolution in a practical length of time. Further developments of the previously reported high-speed contact-mode AFM are described. Two instruments are presented: (i) a high-speed flexure stage arrangement capable of imaging at a video rate of 30 fps, and (ii) an ultra-high speed instrument using a combined tuning fork and flexure-stage scanning system capable of ultra-high-speed imaging in excess of 1000 fps. Results of imaging collagen fibres under ambient conditions at rates of up to 1300 frames s−1 are presented. Despite tip–specimen relative velocities of up to 200 mm s−1, no significant damage to the collagen specimen was observed even after tens of thousands of frames were acquired in the same area of the specimen.


PACS

81.07.-b Nanoscale materials and structures: fabrication and characterization

68.37.Ps Atomic force microscopy (AFM)

06.60.Jn High-speed techniques (microsecond to femtosecond)

Subjects

Instrumentation and measurement

Surfaces, interfaces and thin films

Nanoscale science and low-D systems

Dates

Issue 4 (31 January 2007)

Received 25 August 2006, in final form 27 August 2006

Published 21 December 2006



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