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Dec 2010

Volume 81, Issue 12, Articles (12xxxx)

Issue Cover Spotlight Figure

Rev. Sci. Instrum. 81, 121101 (2010); http://dx.doi.org/10.1063/1.3520482 (33 pages)

Young Jae Song, Alexander F. Otte, Vladimir Shvarts, Zuyu Zhao, Young Kuk, Steven R. Blankenship, Alan Band, Frank M. Hess, and Joseph A. Stroscio

Photograph of the ultra-high vacuum compatible dilution refrigerator for scanning probe microscopy. The left top inset shows a series of Landau level spectral prints of graphene as a function of magnetic field, ranging from 1 T (bottom) to 10 T (top). The right bottom inset shows a schematic of the four-fold degenerate spin and valley cyclotron orbits in graphene, which are measured in scanning tunneling spectroscopy (red curve). The spin sub-bands can split further into ½-fractional states under certain conditions as indicated in the schematic.

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back to top Microscopy and Imaging

An alternative flat scanner and micropositioning method for scanning probe microscope

Wei Cai, Guangyi Shang, Yusheng Zhou, Ping Xu, and Junen Yao

Rev. Sci. Instrum. 81, 123701 (2010); http://dx.doi.org/10.1063/1.3505781 (5 pages)

Online Publication Date: 8 December 2010

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An alternative flat scanner used for combining a scanning probe microscope with an inverted optical microscope is presented. The scanner has a novel structure basically consisting of eight identical piezoelectric tubes, metal flexure beams, and one sample mount. Because of the specially designed structure, the scanner is able to carry a sample of more than 120 g during imaging. By applying voltages of ±150 V, scanning range of more than 30 μm in three dimensions can be achieved. To improve the reliability of the stick-slip motion, a new method for sample micropositioning is proposed by applying a pulsed voltage to the piezotubes to produce a motion in the z-axis. Reliable translation of the sample has been thus accomplished with the step length from ∼700 nm to 9 μm over a range of several millimeters. A homemade scanning probe microscope–inverted optical microscope system based on the scanner is described. Experimental results obtained with the system are shown.
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42.79.Ls Scanners, image intensifiers, and image converters
07.60.Pb Conventional optical microscopes
07.79.-v Scanning probe microscopes and components
06.60.Sx Positioning and alignment; manipulating, remote handling

Ferrule-top atomic force microscope

D. Chavan, G. Gruca, S. de Man, M. Slaman, J. H. Rector, K. Heeck, and D. Iannuzzi

Rev. Sci. Instrum. 81, 123702 (2010); http://dx.doi.org/10.1063/1.3516044 (5 pages) | Cited 3 times

Online Publication Date: 16 December 2010

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Ferrule-top cantilevers are a new generation of all-optical miniaturized devices for utilization in liquids, harsh environments, and small volumes [G. Gruca et al., Meas. Sci. Technol. 21, 094033 (2010)]. They are obtained by carving the end of a ferruled fiber in the form of a mechanical beam. Light coupled from the opposite side of the fiber allows detection of cantilever deflections. In this paper, we demonstrate that ferrule-top cantilevers can be used to develop ultra compact AFMs for contact mode imaging in air and in liquids with sensitivity comparable to that of commercial AFMs. The probes do not require any alignment procedure and are easy to handle, favoring applications also outside research laboratories.
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07.79.Lh Atomic force microscopes

Effect of tip shape on line edge roughness measurement based on atomic force microscopy

Ning Li, Fei Wang, and Xuezeng Zhao

Rev. Sci. Instrum. 81, 123703 (2010); http://dx.doi.org/10.1063/1.3518973 (3 pages)

Online Publication Date: 20 December 2010

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Atomic force microscopy (AFM) is an important tool in line edge roughness (LER) measurements, where accuracy for line edge identification is influenced by the shape of the tip. In this article, the effect of tip shape on LER measurement based on AFM is studied theoretically. The formulas for calculating the distance between the measured and actual line edge of the sample are presented. The effects of the three kinds of tips with different shapes are experimentally compared for validation. Suggestions on how to reduce measuring error caused by tip shape are also given.
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07.79.Lh Atomic force microscopes
06.30.Bp Spatial dimensions (e.g., position, lengths, volume, angles, and displacements)
68.37.Ps Atomic force microscopy (AFM)
06.20.Dk Measurement and error theory

Wavefield characterization of nearly diffraction-limited focused hard x-ray beam with size less than 10 nm

Takashi Kimura, Hidekazu Mimura, Soichiro Handa, Hirokatsu Yumoto, Hikaru Yokoyama, Shota Imai, Satoshi Matsuyama, Yasuhisa Sano, Kenji Tamasaku, Yoshiki Komura, Yoshinori Nishino, Makina Yabashi, Tetsuya Ishikawa, and Kazuto Yamauchi

Rev. Sci. Instrum. 81, 123704 (2010); http://dx.doi.org/10.1063/1.3509384 (5 pages)

Online Publication Date: 29 December 2010

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In situ wavefront compensation is a promising method to realize a focus size of only a few nanometers for x-ray beams. However, precise compensation requires evaluation of the wavefront with an accuracy much shorter than the wavelength. Here, we characterized a one-dimensionally focused beam with a width of 7 nm at 20 keV using a multilayer mirror. We demonstrate that the wavefront can be determined precisely from multiple intensity profiles measured around the beamwaist. We compare the phase profiles recovered from intensity profiles measured under the same mirror condition but with three different aperture sizes and find that the accuracy of phase retrieval is as small as λ/12.
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07.85.-m X- and γ-ray instruments

Nanoscale potential measurements in liquid by frequency modulation atomic force microscopy

Naritaka Kobayashi, Hitoshi Asakawa, and Takeshi Fukuma

Rev. Sci. Instrum. 81, 123705 (2010); http://dx.doi.org/10.1063/1.3514148 (4 pages) | Cited 4 times

Online Publication Date: 29 December 2010

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We have developed a method for local potential measurements in liquid using frequency modulation atomic force microscopy. In this method, local potential is calculated from the first and second harmonic vibrations of a cantilever induced by applying an ac bias voltage between a tip and a sample. The use of an ac bias voltage with a relatively high frequency prevents uncontrolled electrochemical reactions and redistribution of ions and water. The nanoscale resolution of the method is demonstrated by imaging potential distribution of a dodecylamine thin film deposited on a graphite surface in 1 mM NaCl solution.
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07.79.Lh Atomic force microscopes

The effect of exit beam phase aberrations on parallel beam coherent x-ray reconstructions

S. O. Hruszkewycz, R. Harder, X. Xiao, and P. H. Fuoss

Rev. Sci. Instrum. 81, 123706 (2010); http://dx.doi.org/10.1063/1.3514085 (5 pages)

Online Publication Date: 29 December 2010

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Diffraction artifacts from imperfect x-ray windows near the sample are an important consideration in the design of coherent x-ray diffraction measurements. In this study, we used simulated and experimental diffraction patterns in two and three dimensions to explore the effect of phase imperfections in a beryllium window (such as a void or inclusion) on the convergence behavior of phasing algorithms and on the ultimate reconstruction. A predictive relationship between beam wavelength, sample size, and window position was derived to explain the dependence of reconstruction quality on beryllium defect size. Defects corresponding to this prediction cause the most damage to the sample exit wave and induce signature error oscillations during phasing that can be used as a fingerprint of experimental x-ray window artifacts. The relationship between x-ray window imperfection size and coherent x-ray diffractive imaging reconstruction quality explored in this work can play an important role in designing high-resolution in situ coherent imaging instrumentation and will help interpret the phasing behavior of coherent diffraction measured in these in situ environments.
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07.85.-m X- and γ-ray instruments
42.30.Wb Image reconstruction; tomography
42.30.Va Image forming and processing

Glass transitions in nanoscale heated volumes of thin polystyrene films

Alex G. Li and Larry W. Burggraf

Rev. Sci. Instrum. 81, 123707 (2010); http://dx.doi.org/10.1063/1.3529016 (11 pages)

Online Publication Date: 30 December 2010

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Glass transitions in confined polystyrene films on a silicon substrate were studied using atomic force microscopy incorporating a thermal tip. Three-dimensional spatial nanoconfinements were achieved by controlling size and boundary conditions of small heated volumes of polymer nanostrands drawn from the polymer surface with the thermal tip, using appropriate loads and temperatures at the tip–polymer contact. Finite element analysis was performed to model mechanical contact and thermal transport, including the effects of contact radius, film thickness, and load on temperature and pressure distributions in the confined volume at the contact. The glass transition temperature (Tg) was measured by observing the softening of polymers with increasing temperature. The measured surface Tg exhibited a strong size dependence, while the subsurface Tg increased with decreasing the distance to the substrate. A large increase in the surface Tg was observed when the radius of contact was reduced below about 10 nm. The increase in the glass transition temperature at the surface was attributed to the presence of surface and line tension at the nanometer contact, while the enhanced Tg near the substrate was attributed to the pinning effects that reduces the mobility of the polymer molecules in the film over several hundreds of nanometers away from the polymer–substrate interface.
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81.05.Lg Polymers and plastics; rubber; synthetic and natural fibers; organometallic and organic materials
68.60.Bs Mechanical and acoustical properties
68.35.bm Polymers, organics
68.03.Cd Surface tension and related phenomena
64.70.pj Polymers
61.41.+e Polymers, elastomers, and plastics

Microwave atomic force microscopy imaging for nanometer-scale electrical property characterization

Lan Zhang, Yang Ju, Atsushi Hosoi, and Akifumi Fujimoto

Rev. Sci. Instrum. 81, 123708 (2010); http://dx.doi.org/10.1063/1.3525058 (4 pages) | Cited 2 times

Online Publication Date: 30 December 2010

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We introduce a new type of microscopy which is capable of investigating surface topography and electrical property of conductive and dielectric materials simultaneously on a nanometer scale. The microwave atomic force microscopy is a combination of the principles of the scanning probe microscope and the microwave-measurement technique. As a result, under the noncontact AFM working conditions, we successfully generated a microwave image of a 200-nm Au film coating on a glass wafer substrate with a spatial resolution of 120 nm and a measured voltage difference of 19.2 mV between the two materials.
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07.79.Lh Atomic force microscopes
68.35.B- Structure of clean surfaces (and surface reconstruction)
68.55.-a Thin film structure and morphology
78.70.Gq Microwave and radio-frequency interactions
73.61.At Metal and metallic alloys
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