MicroMegascope

TL;DR

This paper demonstrates atomic force microscopy using a large, centimeter-scale oscillator, enabling nanometric surface imaging with a more accessible and versatile setup compared to traditional microscopic oscillators.

Contribution

It introduces the first atomic force imaging with a macroscopic, grams-scale oscillator, expanding AFM applications and simplifying fabrication and usage.

Findings

Nanometric resolution achieved with a centimeter-sized oscillator

Successful imaging in air and liquid environments

High sensitivity demonstrated with a grams-scale tuning fork

Abstract

Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM) allows to reconstruct the topography of surface with a resolution in the nanometer range. The exceptional resolution attainable with the AFM makes this instrument a key tool in nanoscience and technology. The core of the set-up relies on the detection of the mechanical properties of a micro-oscillator when approached to a sample to image. Despite the fact that AFM is nowadays a very common instrument for research and development applications, thanks to the exceptional performances and the relative simplicity to use it, the fabrication of the micrometric scale mechanical oscillator is still a very complicated and expensive task requiring a dedicated platform. Being able to perform atomic force microscopy with a macroscopic oscillator would make the instrument more versatile and accessible for an even larger spectrum of applications and audiences. We present for the first time atomic force imaging with a centimetric oscillator. We show how it is possible to perform topographical images with nanometric resolution with a grams tuning fork. The images presented here are obtained with an aluminum tuning fork of centimeter size as sensor on which an accelerometer is glued on one prong to measure the oscillation of the resonator. In addition to the stunning sensitivity, by imaging both in air and in liquid, we show the high versatility of such oscillator. The set up proposed here can be extended to numerous experiments where the probe needs to be heavy and/or very complex as well as the environment.