TappingMode/ Non-Contact

TappingMode™ AFM, a proprietary Bruker afm mode, is the most popular AFM technique. As an AC technique, the cantilever is operated at or near its resonance frequency such that forces between the AFM tip and sample cause a change of the initial resonance behavior. It is common to reduce the free air amplitude in order to maintain sample topography tracking. A phase image can also be generated by simultaneously monitoring the phase shift between drive signal to the AFM cantilever and its response. This allows for very high spatial information based on various material properties.