Phase Imaging Atomic Force Microscopy

Phase imaging atomic force microscope (AFM) is an addition to amplitude modulation AFM (AM-AFM) that provides maps of compositional and/or energy dissipation variations of heterogeneous materials with nanoscale spatial resolution. High compositional contrast together with the absence of major preparation protocols such as staining or fixation, and the ability, in a first approximation, to separate topography from composition information, explains the wide range of applications of phase imaging AFM. The interpretation of phase images in terms of material properties and tip-surface interactions is the focus of a strong scientific activity. This chapter describes the most accepted aspects of phase imaging AFM. Topography and phase images can be combined to produce a three-dimensional characterization of the sample surface by providing simultaneous information on structure, composition, and height variations that enables us to describe the phase behavior of thin films in terms of surface reconstructions. Controlled Vocabulary Terms amplitude modulation; atomic force microscopy; cooling; materials science computing; nanotechnology