Technology in this area is advancing all the time, but what is the history of the probing microscope, and how is this relevant today?
The very first prototype of this kind of technology dates back to 1985, when it was created using aluminium foil by a university researcher. However, prior to this, that very same individual was one of the researchers at the university where scanning microscopy – AFM’s predecessor – was invented just a few years previously.
And so, unbeknown to many, the probing microscope is actually derived from the Scanning Tunnelling Microscope: a technology first invented by IBM Zurich scientists in the early 1980s, for which they are now world famous.
Because it was one of the first of its kind, this method is often considered ‘the ancestor’ of AFM technology. Luckily, it has since advanced dramatically thanks to more recent innovation, paving the way for more modern application.
STM technology was considered revolutionary at the time, given that it was the first microscope to generate images of samples with atomic resolution – what would later become known to the AFM community as ‘atomic lattice resolution.’
STM then prompted the invention of further technologies – machines that would be used across a number of industries in the years (or decades) to come. It its heyday, this was quite something. The scientists who invented the scanning tunnelling microscope were awarded a Nobel Prize in physics for their efforts, but it was time for the technology to be handed over to a new innovator.
STM was succeeded by the later works of one of IBM Zurich’s original researchers, who went on to build a new microscope inclusive of a second probing tip. The creator of this technology has recently been granted a prestigious award. His research team is also widely acclaimed among the scientific and engineering communities and continues to produce new AFMs to this day.
The AFM’s precise measurements are taken using the electronic probing tip. The probe works by scanning over a small area of sample, generally functioning in three key modes: tapping, contact and non-contact. Non-contact application has been a relatively recent and revolutionary advancement, and one that has promoted much discussion.
Non-contact AFMS were considered a game-changer in the world of scientific research; they paved the way for the advanced microscope technology relied upon in many research facilities and labs today. AFM products are now used all over the world to measure the magnetic an
If you need more information please visit : libgen
Leave a Reply