ACCOUNTING FOR THE STIFFNESSES OF THE PROBE AND SAMPLE IN SCANNING PROBE MICROSCOPY

The elements of a scanning probe microscope are modeled as a set of sp rings in series. For a single-component sample, that is, a sample cons isting of only one material, the detected feature height in variable f orce (force microscopy) or variable current (tunneling microscopy) mod es is a function of the total system stiffness and the stiffness of th e detector. For a multicomponent sample, the data in both variable for ce (current) and constant force (current) modes are modified by the se t-point force, the detector stiffness, and the relative stiffnesses of the components of the sample. A detection scheme for reducing this co mpliance effect is proposed.