Modern methods of investigation for understanding of new materials
Atomic force microscopy (AFM) provides diverse data of the investigated samples. These data need to be interpreted in a meaningful way, because the true value of the experiment is exploited in their relation to the desired materials and application properties.
The heart of an atomic force microscope for surface investigation is the palm-sized scanner unit. It steers a scanning tip, mounted on its end, with sub-nanometer-precision, providing a spatial resolution that corresponds to the size of individual atoms.