AFM imaging - Reliable or not?

Researchers are engaged in studies in the fields of device redesign and the development of new modes of operation for atomic force microscopy (AFM) to increase the reliability of its images. There has been an increase in system theoretic analysis and design methods, which provide a systematic study of underlying principles and fundamental limitations of AFM, while developing control designs that improve imaging resolution, bandwidth, and reliability of atomic force microscopes. There is an urgent need for approaches that eliminate spurious effects from AFM operation, provide fidelity measures on images that are real-time implementable, and are easy to interpret. Initial steps need to be taken for developing a framework for how control and information theoretic concepts can be used to reduce spuriousness in AFM-based imaging and provide quality measures on AFM images.