Dissipated energy in tapping mode by the atomic force microscope

Abstract

Dissipated energy measurements between a tip of an AFM and a sample have been used to analyze variations in mechanical and tribological properties of materials, using tapping mode AFM to generate topography and phase contrast images. Furthermore it's possible to perform indentations in the material with this operation mode and to create micro-controlled defects, in diameter and depth, to growing of quantum dots in semiconductor materials. In this paper, we discuss the fundamentals of this technique.