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APS » Journals » Phys. Rev. Lett. » Volume 56 » Issue 9
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Phys. Rev. Lett. 56, 930–933 (1986)

Atomic Force Microscope

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G. Binnig* and C. F. Quate†
Edward L. Ginzton Laboratory, Stanford University, Stanford, California 94305

Ch. Gerber‡
IBM San Jose Research Laboratory, San Jose, California 95193

Received 5 December 1985; published in the issue dated 3 March 1986

The scanning tunneling microscope is proposed as a method to measure forces as small as 10-18 N. As one application for this concept, we introduce a new type of microscope capable of investigating surfaces of insulators on an atomic scale. The atomic force microscope is a combination of the principles of the scanning tunneling microscope and the stylus profilometer. It incorporates a probe that does not damage the surface. Our preliminary results in air demonstrate a lateral resolution of 30 ÅA and a vertical resolution less than 1 Å.

© 1986 The American Physical Society

URL:
http://link.aps.org/doi/10.1103/PhysRevLett.56.930
DOI:
10.1103/PhysRevLett.56.930
PACS:
68.35.Gy

*Also at IBM San Jose Research Laboratory, San Jose, Cal. 95193, and on leave from IBM Research Laboratory, Zurich, Switzerland.

†Also at Xerox Palo Alto Research Center, Palo Alto, Cal. 94304.

‡On leave from IBM Research Laboratory, Zurich, Switzerland.

See Also

Comment: J. B. Pethica, Comment on ‘‘Interatomic forces in scanning tunneling microscopy: Giant corrugations of the graphite surface’’, Phys. Rev. Lett. 57, 3235 (1986).

 
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