Destruction of AFM probes during normal operation

The quality of the images obtained with the use of an atomic force microscope is determined by the state of the blade interacting with the tested material. Image artifacts can be generated by various reasons, such as oxidation, contamination or an error in blade fabrication, but also appear as a result of the repeated scanning process and inevitable mechanical deformations [1]. They are relatively easy to capture during the formation of the microscopic image and necessitate the replacement of the probe. This collection presents the status of such probes that were rejected due to the generation of obvious defects on the scans created with their help. It should be noted that all of the tested used probes were operated in accordance with their factory purpose, i.e. in a semi-contact mode, considered less destructive (NSG30 probes). However, the evident deformations of the shape of their blades make it clear that even in this mode, the durability of the scanning tips is very limited and there is a need to replace them. This creates the necessity to compromise between the scientific quality of the obtained images and economic considerations (the used probe can still be used for didactic purposes or for coarse imaging, where it is not necessary to maintain the publication quality). Another interesting challenge is the possibility of creating a quantitative probe degradation criterion, which is the goal of future research by the author of the collection. Among the images there is also a scan showing the condition of the brand new probe (images 15 and 16) as well as a scan showing the imperfection (creep) of the piezoelectric scanner (scans 1 and 2). Several images also indicate the effect of local contamination of the test sample itself (23 and 24), which was the calibration plate with the symbol TGT1 produced by NT-MDT. In total, the collection contains 24 images.
Reference:
[1] T. Strahlendorff, G. Dai, D. Bergmann, R.Tutsch, Tip wear and tip breakage in high-speed atomic force microscopes, Ultramicroscopy, 201 (2019) 28-37.