• 한국소음진동공학회:학술대회논문집
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• 한국소음진동공학회 2006년도 춘계학술대회논문집
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• pp.1391-1395
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• 2006

In non-contact mode atomic force microscopy, the response of a resonating tip is used to measure the nanoscale topography and other properties of a sample surface. However, the tip-surface interactions can affect the tip response and destabilize the non-contact mode control. Especially it is difficult to obtain a good scanned image of high adhesion surfaces such as polymers using conventional hard NCHR tip and non-contact mode control. In this study, experimental investigation is made on the non-contact mode imaging and we report the microcantilever having low stiffness (OMCL) is useful to measure the properties of samples such as elasticity. In addition, we proved that it was adequate to use low stiffness microcantilever to obtain a good scanned image in AFM for the soft and high adhesion sample.

• Applied Science and Convergence Technology
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• 제23권2호
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• pp.97-102
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• 2014

A vacuum chamber for a commercial atomic force microscope (AFM) is designed and fabricated. Only minimal modifications were made to an existing microscope in an effort to work in a vacuum environment, while most of the available AFM functionalities were kept intact. The optical alignment needed for proper AFM operations including a SLD (superluminescent diode) and a photodiode can be made externally without breaking the vacuum. A vacuum level of $5{\times}10^{-3}$ torr was achieved with a mechanical pump. An enhancement of the quality factor was observed along with a shift in the resonance frequency of a non-contact-mode cantilever in a vacuum. Topographical data of a calibration sample were also obtained in air and in a low vacuum using the non-contact mode and the results were compared.

• 한국정밀공학회:학술대회논문집
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• 한국정밀공학회 2006년도 춘계학술대회 논문집
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• pp.463-464
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• 2006

This paper present experimental results by non-contact mode Atomic Force Microscopy using high aspect ratio tips (HAR-T). We fabricated the carbon nanotube tip based on dielectrophoresis and the carbon nano probe by focused ion beam after dielectrophoretic assembling. In this paper, we measure AAO sample and trench structure to estimate HAR-T's performance and compared with conventional Si tip. We confirmed that results of HAR-T's performance in non contact mode was very superior than conventional tip.

• Journal of Electrochemical Science and Technology
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• 제15권2호
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• pp.261-267
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• 2024

An unconventional fabrication technique of nanoelectrode was developed using atomic force microscopy (AFM) and hydrogel. Until now, the precise control of electroactive area down to a few nm² has always been an obstacle, which limits the wide application of nanoelectrodes. Here, the nanometer-sized contact between the boron-doped diamond (BDD) as conductive AFM tip and the agarose hydrogel as solid electrolyte was well governed by the feedback amplitude of oscillation in the non-contact mode of AFM. Consequently, this low-cost and feasible approach gives rise to new possibilities for the fabrication of nanoelectrodes. The electroactive area controlled by the set point of AFM was investigated by cyclic voltammetry (CV) of the ferrocenmethanol (FcMeOH) combined with quasi-solid agarose hydrogel as an electrolyte. Single copper (Cu) nanoparticle was deposited at the apex of the AFM tip using this platform whose electrocatalytic activity for nitrate reduction was then investigated by CV and Field Emission-Scanning Electron Microscopy (FE-SEM), respectively.

• 한국정밀공학회:학술대회논문집
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• 한국정밀공학회 2006년도 추계학술대회 논문집
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• pp.515-516
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• 2006

• 대한기계학회논문집A
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• 제31권1호
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• pp.139-144
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• 2007

This paper presents development of carbon nanotube (CNT) tip modified by focused ion beam (FIB) and experimental results in non-contact mode of atomic force microscopy (AFM) using fabricated tip. We used an electric field which causes dielectrophoresis, to align and deposit CNTs on a conventional silicon tip. The morphology of the fabricated CNT tip was then modified into a desired shape using focused ion beam. We measured anodic aluminum oxide sample and trench structure to estimate the performance of FIB-modified tip and compared with those of conventional Si tip. We demonstrate that FIB modified tip in non contact mode had superior characteristics than conventional tip in the respects of wear, image resolution and sidewall measurement.

• ETRI Journal
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• 제26권3호
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• pp.189-194
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• 2004

We demonstrate a high-speed recording based on field-induced manipulation in combination with an optical reading of recorded bits on Au cluster films using the atomic force microscope (AFM) and the near-field scanning optical microscope (NSOM). We reproduced 50 nm-sized mounds by applying short electrical pulses to conducting tips in a non-contact mode as a writing process. The recorded marks were then optically read using bent fiber probes in a transmission mode. A strong enhancement of light transmission is attributed to the local surface plasmon excitation on the protruded dots.

• 한국작물학회지
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• 제49권1호
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• pp.36-40
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• 2004

To observe and analysis ultra-microscopically barley aleurone cell surface, atomic force microscope (AFM) was used. Seed coat of early maturing germplasm, eam9, was dehulled and scanned by non-contact mode. We have obtained the high resolution topographic 3-dimensional image of barley aleurone layer with high resolution. These images showed the membrane proteins in barley aleurone cell. One channel protein and numerous peripheral or integral proteins were detected in a area of 100 $\mu\textrm{m}^2$. Furthermore, we found that their widths were ranged from 50 to 750nm and lengths from 0 to 66 $\mu\textrm{m}$. The thickness of aleurone layer was measured by scanning electron microscope. The thickness at early developmental stage was about 16 and then the aleurone cell enlarged upto 57 $\mu\textrm{m}$${\mu}{\textrm}{m}$ at least until 42 days after anthesis. In this study, we firstly reported on the ultrastructural AFM analysis of living aleurone cell as a biological specimen. It was clearly suggested that AFM will become an powerful tool for probing both the structural properties of biological samples.

• KSTLE International Journal
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• 제6권2호
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• pp.33-38
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• 2005

Submicron-scale patterns made of polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) were fabricated on silicon-wafer using a capillarity-directed soft lithographic technique. Polyurethane acrylate (PUA) stamps (Master molds) were used to fabricate the patterns. Patterns with three different aspect ratios were fabricated by varying the holding time. The patterns fabricated were the negative replica of the master mold. The patterns so obtained were investigated for their adhesion and friction properties at nano-scale using AFM. Friction tests were conducted in the range of 0-80 nN. Glass (Borosilicate) balls of diameter 1.25 mm mounted on cantilever (Contact Mode type NPS) were used as tips. Further, micro-friction tests were performed using a ball-on-flat type micro-tribe tester, under reciprocating motion, using a soda lime ball (1 mm diameter) under a normal load of 3,000 mN. All experiments were conducted at ambient temperature ($24{\pm}1^{\circ}C$) and relative humidity ($45{\pm}5\%$). Results showed that the patterned samples exhibited superior tribological properties when compared to the silicon wafer and non-patterned sample (PMMA thin film) both at the nano and micro-scales, owing to their increased hydrophobicity and reduced real area of contact. In the case of patterns it was observed that their morphology (shape factor and size factor) was decisive in defining the real area of contact.

• 한국전기전자재료학회:학술대회논문집
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• 한국전기전자재료학회 2009년도 추계학술대회 논문집
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• pp.32-32
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• 2009

Silicon carbide (SiC) is a wide-bandgap semiconductor that has materials properties necessary for the high-power, high-frequency, high-temperature, and radiation-hard condition applications, where silicon devices cannot perform. SiC is also the only compound semiconductor material. on which a silicon oxide layer can be thermally grown, and therefore may fabrication processes used in Si-based technology can be adapted to SiC. So far, atomic force microscopy (AFM) has been extensively used to study the surface charges, dielectric constants and electrical potential distribution as well as topography in silicon-based device structures, whereas it has rarely been applied to SiC-based structures. In this work, we investigated that the local oxide growth on SiC under various conditions and demonstrated that an increased (up to ~100 nN) tip loading force (LF) on highly-doped SiC can lead a direct oxide growth (up to few tens of nm) on 4H-SiC. In addition, the surface potential and topography distributions of nano-scale patterned structures on SiC were measured at a nanometer-scale resolution using a scanning kelvin probe force microscopy (SKPM) with a non-contact mode AFM. The measured results were calibrated using a Pt-coated tip. It is assumed that the atomically resolved surface potential difference does not originate from the intrinsic work function of the materials but reflects the local electron density on the surface. It was found that the work function of the nano-scale patterned on SiC was higher than that of original SiC surface. The results confirm the concept of the work function and the barrier heights of oxide structures/SiC structures.