Nanoscience Instruments

AFM Probes

curve

Back to Back to

AFM Probes

All Products

 
Buy AFM tips online AFM Probe Store
Browse through hundreds of AFM probes,
review specifications & pricing, check inventory
status, and place orders.

AFM Cantilevers and Chips:
Dimensions & Specifications

AFM cantilever and chip schematics representing approximate values for most of the standard Silicon AFM probes available from Nanoscience Instruments.

AFM Chip showing cantilever and probe tip

Our AFM chips fit most commercial Atomic Force Microscopes (AFMs) as they are industry standard size. They are compatible with AFMs from Nanosurf, DI/Veeco, Agilent/Molecular Imaging, Asylum Research, JEOL, and others.

The probe cantilevers are defined using wet anisotropic processes. As a result, the cantilever cross-section is trapezoidal. The backside width of the cantilever has been chosen to be between 35 to 45 µm . This makes the cantilever suitable for all commercially available AFMs. The wide backside of the cantilever also helps reflecting laser completely for large SUM signal and eliminates laser falling and reflecting back from the sample surface. The cantilever thickness and length are varied to suit the requirements of various SPM applications. The tip is set at the far end of the free end is consistently controlled between 15 to 25 µm for easy and predictable alignment of the tip and the sample.

The chip (substrate) dimensions are 3400 µm x 1600µm x 300 µm ( Length x width x thickness). The design fits into most commercially available SPMs.


AFM cantilever width

AFM cantilever side view

AFM Cantilevers are specified by their width, length, and thickness.

These parameters determine important factors like resonance frequency and spring constant.

Standard cantilever types for common applications:

Dynamic mode / tapping mode AFM
Available as a long (225 µm) or short (125 µm) cantilever
Length: Typically 125 - 225 µm
Width: Typically 40 µm
Thickness: 4 - 8 µm
Resonant Freq: 190 - 300 KHz
Spring Constant: 40 - 48 N/m
Force Modulation mode AFM Length: Typically 225 µm
Width: Typically 45µm
Thickness: 2.5 µm
Resonant Freq: 60 KHz
Spring Constant: 3 N/m
Contact mode AFM
Available as a long (450 µm) or short (225 µm) cantilever
Length: Typically 225 - 450µm
Width: Typically 28-40 µm
Thickness: 1- 2 µm
Resonant Freq: 12 - 28 KHz
Spring Constant: 0.1 - 0.2 N/m

The AFM cantilevers are micromachined, monolithic Si, exhibiting excellent uniformity. They provide high quality imaging for all standard atomic force microscopes.

AFM cantilever coatings:

Most of our AFM probes are available with metal coatings. Some coatings are intended only to improve the reflectivity of the back side of the cantilevers, and are called "reflex" coatings. Typically Aluminum is used, but some of our probes are available with a gold reflex coating. Many times Gold is preferred for situations where Al may oxidize.

Other coatings are available on both sides of the cantilever, including the tip. Examples are Pt, Au, and magnetic materials. These are used for conductivity measurements, EFM, MFM, biological applications, and others. Call or email for further details.

Buy AFM probes online at the Nanoscience Shop: store.nanoscience.com