High speed force-volume mapping using atomic force microscope.

This article proposes a control approach based on the notion of superimposition and iterative learning control to achieve high-speed force-volume mapping on scanning probe microscope (SPM). Current force-volume mapping measurement is slow, resulting in large temporal errors in the force mapping when rapid dynamic evolution is involved in the sample. The force-volume mapping speed is limited by the challenge to overcome the hardware adverse effects excited during high-speed mapping, particularly over a relatively large sample area. The contribution of this article is the development of a novel control approach to high-speed force-volume mapping. The proposed approach utilizes the concept of signal decoupling-superimposition and the recently-developed model-less inversion-based iterative control (MIIC) technique. Experiment on force-curve mapping of a Polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) sample is presented to illustrate the proposed approach. The experimental results show that the mapping speed can be increased by over 20 times.