Simulation of properties of images with atomic resolution in a scanning probe microscope

A method for simulation of images in a scanning probe microscope (SPM) using simultaneous wavelet transform and median filtering is proposed. The wavelet transform with the fourth-order Daubechies kernel is used. Such a transform makes it possible to select details of different scales in the SPM image and, hence, study fractal properties of surfaces. Simulation is used to show that ultrahigh (atomic) resolution is possible in SPM provided that the size of the contact region in the probe–sample system is significantly greater than atomic size and the lattice atoms are randomly distributed. Contrast inversion in the SPM images in the multiscan mode is interpreted.