Atomic force microscopy with time resolution of microseconds

The atomic force microscope (AFM) can acquire high-resolution images under nondestructive conditions albeit at a very poor temporal resolution. This work presents two AFM mapping techniques, stroboscopic, and continuous, for imaging rapid periodical processes with nanometer spatial resolution and microsecond time resolution. Application of these methods is demonstrated for imaging very rapid cyclic changes in the position of a microfabricated grid. Motion was resolved with 10nm spatial resolution, and 5 and 25μs temporal resolution using the stroboscopic and continuous mode, respectively. The proposed methods have the potential to image wide variety of rapid processes with unparalleled combination of lateral and temporal resolutions.