Contact stiffness measurements with an atomic force microscope

We propose a method for improving accuracy of nanomechanical measurements by an atomic force microscope. We describe the contact interaction of the cantilever with the sample using an analytic model taking into account different mechanisms of the cantilever probe operation (it can be clamped or can slide over the sample surface), the geometrical and mechanical characteristics of the sample and the cantilever, and their mutual arrangement. For the case of sliding, a filter is developed for correcting signals of contact stiffness and deformation measured on a sample with a developed relief. The application of the filter is illustrated by images obtained with an atomic force microscope in the visualization regime based on point-by-point recording of the forced quasi-static interaction of the cantilever probe with the sample.