US 12,253,539 B2
Method of examining a sample in an atomic force microscope using attractive tip-to-sample interaction
Egor Ukraintsev, Kladno (CZ); and Bohuslav Rezek, Prague (CZ)
Assigned to CESKE VYSOKE UCENI TECHNICKE V PRAZE, Prague (CZ)
Appl. No. 18/010,533
Filed by CESKE VYSOKE UCENI TECHNICKE V PRAZE, Prague (CZ)
PCT Filed Jul. 13, 2021, PCT No. PCT/CZ2021/050076
§ 371(c)(1), (2) Date Dec. 15, 2022,
PCT Pub. No. WO2022/258084, PCT Pub. Date Dec. 15, 2022.
Prior Publication US 2024/0264199 A1, Aug. 8, 2024
This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.
Int. Cl. G01Q 10/06 (2010.01)
CPC G01Q 10/065 (2013.01) 15 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A method of examining a sample in an atomic force microscope including at least one probe, each probe including at least one cantilever and at least one tip, comprising
carrying out the following sequence of procedures:
a negative setpoint SCD setting procedure (a), wherein the negative setpoint SCD is set as a negative real number;
an approaching procedure (b) comprising: above at least one point of the sample, performing an approach comprising reducing the tip-to-sample distance D and recording cantilever deflection CD as a function of the tip-to-sample distance D, while applying the standard sign convention with cantilever deflection CD considered negative for attractive forces and positive for repulsive forces, until at least one of critical criteria is achieved, the critical criteria consisting of or comprising:
a first critical criterium (b1): the cantilever deflection CD reaches the value substantially equal to the negative setpoint SCD, i.e. CD≅SCD:
a second critical criterium (b2): the cantilever deflection CD reaches the value substantially equal to the negative setpoint SCD divided by two and then the derivative of cantilever deflection in time reaches the value substantially equal to zero, i.e. CD≅SCD/2 is reached and then

OG Complex Work Unit Math
 is reached;
a third critical criterium (b3): the cantilever deflection CD reaches the value substantially equal to the negative setpoint SCD divided by two and then the cantilever deflection CD reaches the value substantially equal to zero, i.e. CD≅SCD/2 is reached and then CD≅0 is reached;
a fourth critical criterium (b4): the cantilever deflection CD reaches the value substantially equal to minus negative setpoint SCD, i.e. CD≅−SCD, and
pausing or stopping of the approach after performing the approaching procedure.