Demonstration of low-temperature atomic force microscope with atomic resolution using piezoresistive cantilevers

Compared to current optical-lever methods adopted in atomic force microscopes, nonoptical methods such as piezoresistive methods and quartz fork methods can be more advantageous due to their smaller installation size and the lack of electromagnetic effects from laser light during electrical conductivity experiments. As a technological demonstration of nonoptical methods, a low-temperature atomic force microscope using piezoresistive cantilevers was developed and operated at liquid-⁴He temperatures (5 K). The cantilever and sample can be transferred from atmosphere to the microscope head operating at low temperatures. Both contact mode and noncontact mode were used for testing the system while carrying out atomic resolution studies on clean Si(111) and clean Si(100) surfaces.