Scanning force microscope to determine interaction forces with high-frequency cantilever

摘要

An apparatus and method for determining a force of interaction between a sample and a tip on a cantilever. The method uses a non-Hookian equation to model the cantilever as it is deflected by the force of interaction between the sample and the cantilever tip. The sample is positioned at a predetermined distance from the cantilever tip such that the cantilever is deflected by the force of interaction. The positions of a plurality of points on the cantilever are then rapidly measured and the force of interaction from the measured positions is then obtained using a non-Hookian model that accounts for higher order vibrational modes of the cantilever.