Abstract

Atomic force microscopy (AFM) plays an essential role in nanotechnology and nanoscience.The recent advances of AFM in bionanotechnology include phase imaging of living cells anddetection of biomolecular interactions in liquid biological environments. Deflectionsensitivity is a key factor in both imaging and force measurement, which is significantlyaffected by the coupling effects of the refractive index discontinuity between air, the glasswindow and the liquid medium, and the laser spot size and spot location. The effectsof both the spot size and the spot location on the sensitivity are amplified bythe refractive index discontinuity. The coupling effects may govern a transitionof the deflection sensitivity from enhancement to degradation. It is also foundthat there is a critical value for the laser spot size, above which the deflectionsensitivity is mainly determined by the refractive index of the liquid. Experimentalresults, in agreement with theoretical predication, elucidate the coupling effects.

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