Theoretical and experimental investigation of the force–distance relation for an atomic force microscope with a pyramidal tip

The van der Waals force is calculated between the atomic force microscope tip modelled by a truncated pyramid with a spherical apex and a plane plate. The force–distance relation obtained is verified experimentally. Microscopic images of the tip in use show the good agreement with the proposed theoretical model. The root mean square deviation between the calculated and observed forces is less than 10% at the smallest tip–sample distance.