AFM Cantilevers Classification

Pyrex-Nitride Diving Board
AFM Cantilever

Rectangular AFM cantilevers with various dimensions for specific applications.
(see Interdependence between Geometry and Application)

Typical AFM cantilever mechanical properties ranges:

• AFM cantilever force constant: 0.06 to 50 N/m
• AFM cantilever resonance frequency: 1 kHz to 1 MHz
• AFM cantilever length:  100 to 500 µm
• AFM cantilever width: 30 to 50 µm
• AFM cantilever thickness: 0.5 to 8 µm

Arrow™ UHF
AFM Cantilever

Triangular AFM cantilevers.

• Short triangular AFM cantilever with a high resonance frequency for high speed scanning

Akiyama-Probe
AFM Cantilever

AFM cantilevers with two beams running parallel to each other.

• AFM cantilever geometry currently used for Akiyama-Probe AFM cantilevers
• AFM cantilever length: 310 µm
• AFM cantilever thickness: 3.7 µm
• AFM cantilever width: 30 µm each

Pyrex-Nitride
Triangular AFM Cantilever

V-shaped AFM cantilever geometry with two identical legs.

Typical triangular AFM cantilever mechanical properties ranges:

• AFM cantilever force constant: 0.08 to 0.3 N/m
• AFM cantilever resonance frequency: 10 to 70 Khz
• AFM cantilever length: 100 to 200 µm
• AFM cantilever width: 10 to 30 µm
• AFM cantilever thickness: 0.5 to 0.6 µm

Rectangular Cross Section
AFM Cantilever

AFM cantilevers with a rectangular cross section.

Trapezoidal Cross Section
AFM Cantilever with tip
on narrow flank

AFM cantilevers with a trapezoidal cross section and the tip on the narrow flank.

Trapezoidal Cross Section
AFM Cantilever with tip
on wide flank

AFM cantilevers with a trapezoidal cross section and the tip of the wide flank.

Trapezoidal Cross Section
with Curved Sides
AFM cantilever with
tip on narrow flank

AFM cantilevers with a trapezoidal cross section with curved sides and the tip on narrow flank.

Arrow™ AFM Cantilever

AFM cantilevers made of single crystal silicon.

• All components of the AFM probe: the AFM tip, the AFM cantilever and the AFM support are made of monolithic single crystal silicon
• Silicon is highly doped for static charge dissipation

Pyrex-Nitride
AFM Cantilevers

AFM cantilevers made of silicon nitride.

• The AFM tip and the AFM cantilever are made of silicon nitride
• The AFM cantilever is attached to a silicon or borosilicate glass support chip

Quartz-like AFM Cantilever'

» Browse all AFM probes with quartz-like AFM cantrilevers

Arrow™ TL1
AFM Cantilever

One AFM cantilever on the support chip.

Arrow™ TL2
AFM Cantilevers

Two identical AFM cantilevers as a small array on one side of the support chip.

Pierced Cantilever Probe
AFM Cantilevers

Three different AFM cantilevers on one side of the support chip.

» Browse all standard AFM probes with three AFM cantilevers on one side of the support chip

Arrow™ TL8
AFM Cantilevers

Arrays of eight identical AFM cantilevers on one side of the support chip.

All-In-One AFM Cantilevers

Two AFM cantilevers with different characteristics on one each side of the support chip.

AFM Cantilever with
Aluminum Reflex coating

Aluminum coating on the detector facing side of the AFM cantilevers for enhanced laser reflectance.

Reflectance of an uncoated AFM cantilever vs reflectance of an aluminum coated AFM cantilever:

Reflectance of an uncoated AFM Cantilever	Reflectance of Aluminum coated AFM Cantilever

AFM Cantilever with Gold Reflex Coating

Gold coating on the detector facing side of the AFM cantilevers for enhanced laser reflectance in ambient atmosphere and chemically aggressive environments.

Reflectance of an uncoated AFM cantilever vs reflectance of a gold coated AFM cantilever:

Reflectance of an uncoated AFM Cantilever	Reflectance of a Gold coated AFM Cantilever

AFM Cantilever with
Topside Gold Coating

Gold coating on the top side of the AFM cantilevers.

• Electrically conductive

AFM Cantilever with
Overall Gold Coating

Gold coating on both sides of the AFM cantilevers.

• Electrically conductive
• Often used for tip functionalization
• Protects the cantilever in chemically aggressive measurement environments

AFM Cantilever with
Electrically Conductive
Platinum Coating

Platinum coating on both sides of the AFM cantilevers.

• Enhances laser reflectance
• Electrically conductive
• Used for electric mode measurements

AFM Cantilever with
Electrically Conductive
Platinum/Iridium Coating

Platinum/Iridium coating on both sides of the AFM cantilevers.

• Enhances laser reflectance
• Electrically conductive
• Used for electric mode measurements

AFM Cantilever with
Conductive Diamond Coating

High wear resistance and electrically conductive real doped diamond coating on the tip side of the AFM cantilevers.

• Electrically conductive
• Used fo electric mode measurements
• Detector facing side of the AFM cantilevers is coated with aluminum

AFM Cantilever
with Silicide Coating

Silicide coating on both sides of the AFM cantilevers.

• Electrically conductive

» Browse all AFM probes with silicide coated AFM cantilevers

• A thick and short AFM cantilever usually has a high resonance frequency and a high force constant*. Such an AFM cantilever is suitable for non-contact or intermittent contact mode AFM operation.
  » Browse all AFM probes with tapping mode AFM cantilevers
  
  
• Long and thin AFM cantilevers have a low resonance frequency and a low force constant*. These AFM Cantilevers are suitable for contact mode AFM operation.
  » Browse all AFM probes with contact mode AFM cantilevers
  
  
• AFM cantilevers with an intermediate length and an intermediate thickness have an intermediate resonance frequency and an intermediate force constant. These AFM cantilevers are suitable for force modulation mode AFM operation.
  » Browse all AFM probes with force modulation AFM cantilevers
  
  
• There are AFM cantilevers with specific geometries for specific requirements. For example, certain AFM systems require long tapping mode AFM cantilevers, while other AFM systems require short contact mode AFM cantilevers.

There is no common definition on the exact force constant values of stiff (or hard) and soft AFM cantilevers. Our own definition of these terms is the following:

An AFM cantilever with force constant above 40 N/m is referred to as a ‘stiff’ AFM cantilever. Such an AFM cantilever allows maximum scanning speeds in tapping/non-contact mode AFM measurements.

 An AFM cantilever with force constant in the range 3-15 N/m is referred to as an ‘intermediately stiff’ AFM cantilever. Such an AFM cantilever is usually preferred for soft intermittent contact mode AFM measurements with reduced tip-sample interaction (5-15 N/m) and for force modulation measurements (3 N/m).

An AFM cantilever with a force constant below 1 N/m is referred to as a ‘soft’ AFM cantilever. Such an AFM cantilever allows high sensitivity contact mode AFM measurements.

For more information on AFM cantilevers, please contact us.

The normal resonance frequency (or simply the resonance frequency) f of an AFM cantilever refers to the resonance frequency for small amplitude oscillations in the direction normal to the sample facing surface of the AFM cantilever. This parameter neglects the mass of the tip.

The corrected resonance frequency fcorr of an AFM cantilever takes the AFM tip mass into account. Here, the AFM tip is modeled as a cone with height H and a base diameter H.

The normal force constant (or simply the force constant) C of an AFM cantilever is the ratio of the applied force from the top or the bottom side at the free cantilever end to the free end’s displacement for small displacements (Fig. 1). This force constant is most relevant for determining the tip-sample interaction during the majority of AFM operation modes.

The lateral force constant Clat of an AFM cantilever is the ratio of the applied force from the side at the free end of the AFM cantilever to its displacement for small displacements (Fig. 2).

The torsional force constant Ctor of an AFM cantilever is the ratio of the applied lateral force at the AFM tip to the lateral displacement of the AFM tip for small displacements (Fig. 3).

The calculator below calculates important parameters of silicon AFM cantilevers based on their geometric dimensions.

f [kHz] – resonance frequency of the AFM cantilever (neglecting tip mass)
f_corr [kHz] – resonance frequency of the AFM cantilever taking tip mass into account
C [N/m] – (normal) force constant of the AFM cantilever
C_lat [N/m] – lateral force constant of the AFM cantilever
C_tor [N/m] – torsional force constant of the AFM cantilever
T [µm] – AFM cantilever thickness
W [µm] – AFM cantilever width
L [µm] – AFM cantilever length
H [µm] – AFM tip height
ρ = 2.33g/cm³ = 2330kg/m³ - density of silicon
E = 1.69*10¹¹ N/m² - modulus of elasticity / Young’s modulus in the <110> direction of silicon
G = 0.5*10¹¹ N/m² modulus of rigidity / modulus of elasticity in shear of silicon

The calculator calculates the resonance frequencies and the force constants according to the following formulas:

Pyrex-Nitride Diving Board
AFM Cantilever

Rectangular AFM cantilevers with various dimensions for specific applications.
(see Interdependence between Geometry and Application)

Typical AFM cantilever mechanical properties ranges:

• AFM cantilever force constant: 0.06 to 50 N/m
• AFM cantilever resonance frequency: 1 kHz to 1 MHz
• AFM cantilever length:  100 to 500 µm
• AFM cantilever width: 30 to 50 µm
• AFM cantilever thickness: 0.5 to 8 µm

Arrow™ UHF
AFM Cantilever

Triangular AFM cantilevers.

• Short triangular AFM cantilever with a high resonance frequency for high speed scanning

Akiyama-Probe
AFM Cantilever

AFM cantilevers with two beams running parallel to each other.

• AFM cantilever geometry currently used for Akiyama-Probe AFM cantilevers
• AFM cantilever length: 310 µm
• AFM cantilever thickness: 3.7 µm
• AFM cantilever width: 30 µm each

Pyrex-Nitride
Triangular AFM Cantilever

V-shaped AFM cantilever geometry with two identical legs.

Typical triangular AFM cantilever mechanical properties ranges:

• AFM cantilever force constant: 0.08 to 0.3 N/m
• AFM cantilever resonance frequency: 10 to 70 Khz
• AFM cantilever length: 100 to 200 µm
• AFM cantilever width: 10 to 30 µm
• AFM cantilever thickness: 0.5 to 0.6 µm

Rectangular Cross Section
AFM Cantilever

AFM cantilevers with a rectangular cross section.

Trapezoidal Cross Section
AFM Cantilever with tip
on narrow flank

AFM cantilevers with a trapezoidal cross section and the tip on the narrow flank.

Trapezoidal Cross Section
AFM Cantilever with tip
on wide flank

AFM cantilevers with a trapezoidal cross section and the tip of the wide flank.

Trapezoidal Cross Section
with Curved Sides
AFM cantilever with
tip on narrow flank

AFM cantilevers with a trapezoidal cross section with curved sides and the tip on narrow flank.

Arrow™ AFM Cantilever

AFM cantilevers made of single crystal silicon.

• All components of the AFM probe: the AFM tip, the AFM cantilever and the AFM support are made of monolithic single crystal silicon
• Silicon is highly doped for static charge dissipation

Pyrex-Nitride
AFM Cantilevers

AFM cantilevers made of silicon nitride.

• The AFM tip and the AFM cantilever are made of silicon nitride
• The AFM cantilever is attached to a silicon or borosilicate glass support chip

Quartz-like AFM Cantilever'

» Browse all AFM probes with quartz-like AFM cantrilevers

Arrow™ TL1
AFM Cantilever

One AFM cantilever on the support chip.

Arrow™ TL2
AFM Cantilevers

Two identical AFM cantilevers as a small array on one side of the support chip.

Pierced Cantilever Probe
AFM Cantilevers

Three different AFM cantilevers on one side of the support chip.

» Browse all standard AFM probes with three AFM cantilevers on one side of the support chip

Arrow™ TL8
AFM Cantilevers

Arrays of eight identical AFM cantilevers on one side of the support chip.

All-In-One AFM Cantilevers

Two AFM cantilevers with different characteristics on one each side of the support chip.

AFM Cantilever with
Aluminum Reflex coating

Aluminum coating on the detector facing side of the AFM cantilevers for enhanced laser reflectance.

Reflectance of an uncoated AFM cantilever vs reflectance of an aluminum coated AFM cantilever:

Reflectance of an uncoated AFM Cantilever	Reflectance of Aluminum coated AFM Cantilever

AFM Cantilever with Gold Reflex Coating

Gold coating on the detector facing side of the AFM cantilevers for enhanced laser reflectance in ambient atmosphere and chemically aggressive environments.

Reflectance of an uncoated AFM cantilever vs reflectance of a gold coated AFM cantilever:

Reflectance of an uncoated AFM Cantilever	Reflectance of a Gold coated AFM Cantilever

AFM Cantilever with
Topside Gold Coating

Gold coating on the top side of the AFM cantilevers.

• Electrically conductive

AFM Cantilever with
Overall Gold Coating

Gold coating on both sides of the AFM cantilevers.

• Electrically conductive
• Often used for tip functionalization
• Protects the cantilever in chemically aggressive measurement environments

AFM Cantilever with
Electrically Conductive
Platinum Coating

Platinum coating on both sides of the AFM cantilevers.

• Enhances laser reflectance
• Electrically conductive
• Used for electric mode measurements

AFM Cantilever with
Electrically Conductive
Platinum/Iridium Coating

Platinum/Iridium coating on both sides of the AFM cantilevers.

• Enhances laser reflectance
• Electrically conductive
• Used for electric mode measurements

AFM Cantilever with
Conductive Diamond Coating

High wear resistance and electrically conductive real doped diamond coating on the tip side of the AFM cantilevers.

• Electrically conductive
• Used fo electric mode measurements
• Detector facing side of the AFM cantilevers is coated with aluminum

AFM Cantilever
with Silicide Coating

Silicide coating on both sides of the AFM cantilevers.

• Electrically conductive

» Browse all AFM probes with silicide coated AFM cantilevers

• A thick and short AFM cantilever usually has a high resonance frequency and a high force constant*. Such an AFM cantilever is suitable for non-contact or intermittent contact mode AFM operation.
  » Browse all AFM probes with tapping mode AFM cantilevers
  
  
• Long and thin AFM cantilevers have a low resonance frequency and a low force constant*. These AFM Cantilevers are suitable for contact mode AFM operation.
  » Browse all AFM probes with contact mode AFM cantilevers
  
  
• AFM cantilevers with an intermediate length and an intermediate thickness have an intermediate resonance frequency and an intermediate force constant. These AFM cantilevers are suitable for force modulation mode AFM operation.
  » Browse all AFM probes with force modulation AFM cantilevers
  
  
• There are AFM cantilevers with specific geometries for specific requirements. For example, certain AFM systems require long tapping mode AFM cantilevers, while other AFM systems require short contact mode AFM cantilevers.

There is no common definition on the exact force constant values of stiff (or hard) and soft AFM cantilevers. Our own definition of these terms is the following:

An AFM cantilever with force constant above 40 N/m is referred to as a ‘stiff’ AFM cantilever. Such an AFM cantilever allows maximum scanning speeds in tapping/non-contact mode AFM measurements.

 An AFM cantilever with force constant in the range 3-15 N/m is referred to as an ‘intermediately stiff’ AFM cantilever. Such an AFM cantilever is usually preferred for soft intermittent contact mode AFM measurements with reduced tip-sample interaction (5-15 N/m) and for force modulation measurements (3 N/m).

An AFM cantilever with a force constant below 1 N/m is referred to as a ‘soft’ AFM cantilever. Such an AFM cantilever allows high sensitivity contact mode AFM measurements.

For more information on AFM cantilevers, please contact us.

The normal resonance frequency (or simply the resonance frequency) f of an AFM cantilever refers to the resonance frequency for small amplitude oscillations in the direction normal to the sample facing surface of the AFM cantilever. This parameter neglects the mass of the tip.

The corrected resonance frequency fcorr of an AFM cantilever takes the AFM tip mass into account. Here, the AFM tip is modeled as a cone with height H and a base diameter H.

The normal force constant (or simply the force constant) C of an AFM cantilever is the ratio of the applied force from the top or the bottom side at the free cantilever end to the free end’s displacement for small displacements (Fig. 1). This force constant is most relevant for determining the tip-sample interaction during the majority of AFM operation modes.

The lateral force constant Clat of an AFM cantilever is the ratio of the applied force from the side at the free end of the AFM cantilever to its displacement for small displacements (Fig. 2).

The torsional force constant Ctor of an AFM cantilever is the ratio of the applied lateral force at the AFM tip to the lateral displacement of the AFM tip for small displacements (Fig. 3).

The calculator below calculates important parameters of silicon AFM cantilevers based on their geometric dimensions.

f [kHz] – resonance frequency of the AFM cantilever (neglecting tip mass)
f_corr [kHz] – resonance frequency of the AFM cantilever taking tip mass into account
C [N/m] – (normal) force constant of the AFM cantilever
C_lat [N/m] – lateral force constant of the AFM cantilever
C_tor [N/m] – torsional force constant of the AFM cantilever
T [µm] – AFM cantilever thickness
W [µm] – AFM cantilever width
L [µm] – AFM cantilever length
H [µm] – AFM tip height
ρ = 2.33g/cm³ = 2330kg/m³ - density of silicon
E = 1.69*10¹¹ N/m² - modulus of elasticity / Young’s modulus in the <110> direction of silicon
G = 0.5*10¹¹ N/m² modulus of rigidity / modulus of elasticity in shear of silicon

The calculator calculates the resonance frequencies and the force constants according to the following formulas: