Plate geometries for contact resonance atomic force microscopy: Modeling, optimization, and verification

A novel contact resonance atomic force microscopy (CR-AFM) method utilizing a two-dimensional Kirchhoff-Love plate framework is presented. Theoretical formulations are discussed, and the classic CR-AFM problem is re-cast into an easily implementable generalized eigenvalue problem. An analysis is performed to determine the optimal placement of the sensing tip for plates of different aspect ratios. Finally, an experiment is conducted using the finite element method to numerically verify the proposed technique. By using a plate geometry for CR-AFM and optimizing the sensor tip location, we achieve a higher measurement sensitivity and modal density when compared with standard AFM cantilever geometries. A higher modal density allows CR-AFM measurement to be conducted using more information extracting eigenmodes in a given frequency bandwidth. Published by AIP Publishing.