skip to main content
OSTI.GOV title logo U.S. Department of Energy
Office of Scientific and Technical Information

Title: Crystal sensor for microscopy applications

Journal Article · · Applied Physics Letters
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1063/1.1846156· OSTI ID:20636816
;  [1]
  1. Pacific Nanotechnology, Inc., Santa Clara, California 95054 (United States)

We report a force sensor based on a quartz crystal that is used for measuring nanoscale topographic images. The crystal is a length-extensional mode oscillator with a resonant frequency of about 650 kHz. Compared to 33 kHz tuning forks, such crystal sensors have a much higher resonance frequency, which allows for high force sensitivity and a fast response time. The crystal sensor is operated in the shear-force mode, with the probes vibrating parallel to the sample surface. The tip-sample interaction during operation is estimated to be less than 300 pN.

OSTI ID:
20636816
Journal Information:
Applied Physics Letters, Vol. 86, Issue 1; Other Information: DOI: 10.1063/1.1846156; (c) 2005 American Institute of Physics; Country of input: International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA); ISSN 0003-6951
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English