Dual integrated actuators for extended range high speed atomic force microscopy

A flexible system for increasing the throughput of the atomic force microsc ope without sacrificing imaging range is presented. The system is based on a nested feedback loop which controls a micromachined cantilever that conta ins both an integrated piezoelectric actuator and an integrated thermal act uator. This combination enables high speed imaging (2 mm/s) over an extende d range by utilizing the piezoelectric actuator's high bandwidth (15 kHz) a nd thermal actuator's large response (300 nm/V). A constant force image, wh ere the sample topography exceeds the range of the piezoelectric actuator a lone, is presented. It has also been demonstrated that the deflection respo nse of the thermal actuator can be linearized and controlled with an integr ated diode. (C) 1999 American Institute of Physics. [S0003- 6951(99)05237-7 ].