The effect of fluid properties and geometrical parameters of cantilever on the frequency response of atomic force microscopy

Abstract

Abstract Nowadays, the atomic force microscopy plays an indispensable role in imaging and manipulation of biological samples. To observe some specific behaviors and biological processes, fast and accurate imaging techniques are required, and one way to speed up the imaging process is to use short cantilevers. For short beams, the Timoshenko model seems to be more accurate compared to other models such as the Euler–Bernoulli. By using the Timoshenko beam model, the effects of rotational inertia and shear deformation are taken into consideration. In this paper, the frequency response of a rectangular atomic force microscope (AFM) in liquid environment has been analyzed by using the Timoshenko beam model. Afterward, since the dynamic response of AFM is influenced by the applied medium, the effects of physical and mechanical properties (e.g., fluid density and viscosity) on the frequency response of the system have been investigated. The frequency responses of the AFM cantilever immersed in various liquids have been compared with one another. And eventually, to study the influence of geometry on the dynamic behavior of AFM, the effect of the cantilever's geometrical parameters (e.g., cantilever length, width and thickness) on the frequency response of the system has been studied.