Advantages and Disadvantages of Contact Mode AFM, TappingMode AFM, and Non-contact Mode AFM
12
Scanning Probe Microscope Training Notebook
Rev. F
6.0
Advantages and Disadvantages of Contact Mode AFM,
TappingMode AFM, and Non-contact Mode AFM
6.1
Contact Mode AFM
Advantages:
•
High scan speeds (throughput).
•
Contact mode AFM is the only AFM technique which can obtain “atomic resolution”
images.
•
Rough samples with extreme changes in vertical topography can sometimes be scanned
more easily in contact mode.
Disadvantages:
•
Lateral (shear) forces can distort features in the image.
•
The forces normal to the tip-sample interaction can be high in air due to capillary forces
from the adsorbed fluid layer on the sample surface.
•
The combination of lateral forces and high normal forces can result in reduced spatial
resolution and may damage soft samples (i.e., biological samples, polymers, silicon)
due to scraping between the tip and sample.
6.2 TappingMode
AFM
Advantages:
•
Higher lateral resolution on most samples (1nm to 5nm).
•
Lower forces and less damage to soft samples imaged in air.
•
Lateral forces are virtually eliminated, so there is no scraping.
Disadvantages:
•
Slightly slower scan speed than contact mode AFM.