Artifacts in AFM

Abstract

The ideal AFM tip is (from the point of view of surface imaging) a sharp needle which can image even surface features with high aspect ratio. If the tip has a broader shape, artifacts occur due to a convolution of the tip shape with the surface features. Nearby micro tips can lead to a doubling of surface features in the acquired AFM image. Other kinds of artifacts in atomic force microscopy (Klapetek, Quantitative data processing in scanning probe microscopy, 2nd edn. Elsevier, Amsterdam, 2018, [1]; Golek, Mazur, Ryszka, Zuber, Appl Surf Sci 304, 11–19, 2014, [2]; Eaton, Batziou, Atomic force microscopy, vol. 1886. Humana Press, New York, 2019, [3]) include thermal drift, feedback overshoot, piezo creep, and electrical noise.