The Wide-Open Door: Atomic Force Microscopy 30 Years On

Abstract

The landmark paper by Binnig, Rohrer, and Quate describing atomic force microscopy (AFM) was published 30 years ago in 1986. Not only did the authors describe the AFM device, but they also predicted several modes of operation that eventually became standard such as intermittent contact mode and phase imaging. They mentioned that the forces between the tip and the specimen material could be measured, which eventually led to stiffness and adhesion measurements on a fine scale. They also implied that electrical and magnetic parameters could be assessed. The present article concludes with descriptions of recent developments in modern AFM instruments.