Hybrid mode atomic force microscopy of phase modulation and frequency modulation

Abstract

Abstract We propose hybrid phase modulation (PM)/frequency modulation (FM) atomic force microscopy (AFM) to increase the imaging speed of AFM in high-Q environments. We derive the relationship between the phase shift, the frequency shift and the tip–sample interaction force from the equation of motion for the cantilever in high-Q environments. The tip–sample conservative force is approximately given by the sum of the conservative force with respect to the phase shift in the PM mode and that with respect to the frequency shift in the FM mode. We preliminarily demonstrate that the hybrid PM/FM-AFM is a new and very promising AFM operation mode that can increase imaging speed.