title: Tip-sample distance control using photothermal actuation of a small cantilever for high-speed atomic force microscopy.
abstract: We have applied photothermal bending of a cantilever induced by an intensity-modulated infrared laser to control the tip-surface distance in atomic force microscopy. The slow response of the photothermal expansion effect is eliminated by inverse transfer function compensation. By regulating the laser power and regulating the cantilever deflection, the tip-sample distance is controlled; this enables much faster imaging than that in the conventional piezoactuator-based z scanners because of the considerably higher resonant frequency of small cantilevers. Using this control together with other devices optimized for high-speed scanning, video-rate imaging of protein molecules in liquids is achieved.
authors.affiliation: Department of Physics, Kanazawa University, Kakuma-Machi, Kanazawa, Japan. yhayato@stu.kanazawa-u.ac.jp
authors.forename: Hayato
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Yamashita
authors.forename: Noriyuki
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Kodera
authors.forename: Atsushi
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Miyagi
authors.forename: Takayuki
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Uchihashi
authors.forename: Daisuke
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Yamamoto
authors.forename: Toshio
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Ando
mesh_terms: D003199:Computer Systems; D017076:Computer-Aided Design; D004867:Equipment Design; D019544:Equipment Failure Analysis; D005246:Feedback; D006358:Hot Temperature; D007834:Lasers; D008027:Light; D018625:Microscopy, Atomic Force / Q000295:instrumentation*; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D014159:Transducers; D014741:Video Recording / Q000295:instrumentation* / Q000379:methods