Parts | Days | Selection | Search | Updates | Downloads | Help

O: Fachverband Oberflächenphysik

O 66: Poster: Scanning Probe Microscopy with Quartz Sensors

O 66.6: Poster

Wednesday, March 29, 2023, 18:00–20:00, P2/EG

Balanced trolling quartz-based sensor with high quality factor used for atomic force microscopy in the liquid — Rui Lin, •Yingzi Li, Jianqiang Qian, and Peng Cheng — School of Physics, Beihang University, Beijing, China

Quartz tuning fork (QTF) has been widely used in atomic force microscopy (AFM) due to its self-sensing property, high quality factor, and high frequency stability. However, owing to the bulky structure and exposed surface electrode arrangement of QTF, the application of quartz-based AFM sensor in the liquid imaging is limited. One way to solve this problem is to coat the QTF with an insulating layer and immerse it into the liquid. However, it would result in a sharp drop of the quality factor and lead to reduction of force detection sensitivity. Here, a high quality factor AFM sensor based on balanced trolling QTF is proposed. Both prongs of the QTF are glued with same tips to make sure high symmetry of QTF, while only one tip is immersed in the liquid. In this configuration, the hydrodynamic interaction can be reduced so that the quartz-based sensor can maintain a high quality factor, which will improve the sensitivity of force detection in the liquid. A theoretical model is presented to analyze the sensing performance of the balanced trolling quartz-based sensor in the liquid. Then, the sensing performance of the sensor is estimated through experimental tests. Finally, the proposed sensor is applied in AFM imaging on different samples in the liquid. The results validate the high quality of the proposed balanced trolling quartz-based sensor and its feasibility of liquid imaging of AFM.