Abstract
A cantilever system for use in an atomic force microscope (AFM) is disclosed. The cantilever system comprises a base cantilever portion and a paddle connected to the base cantilever portion with one end free to move relative to the base cantilever portion. The base cantilever portion has an effective bending stiffness, k1, and the paddle has an effective bending stiffness, k2. The ratio of the effective bending stiffness, k1, to the bending stiffness, k2, is at least greater than 4. Such a cantilever system provides a stable, i.e., invariant contact resonant frequency, independent of the changes in the local contact stiffness.
Original language | English (US) |
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U.S. patent number | 10656175 |
Filing date | 2/14/18 |
State | Published - May 19 2020 |