Ultrasonic force microscopy resolution

Yamanaka, K., Ogiso, H and Kolosov, O. V. (1994). Ultrasonic force microscopy for nanometre resolution subsurface imaging. Appl. Phys. Lett. 64(2), 178-80. [292, 314]... 

When the first edition was published in 1992, the resolution of the acoustic microscope techniques used at the time was controlled by the wavelength. In practice the frequency-dependent attenuation of the acoustic wave in the coupling fluid sets a lower limit to the wavelength, and therefore to the resolution, of about 1 pm for routine applications. Since then scanning probe techniques with nanometre scale resolution have been developed along the lines of the atomic force microscope. This has resulted in the development of the ultrasonic force microscopy techniques, in which the sample is excited by... 

There was, however, one topic which was not included in the first edition, which has undergone substantial development in the intervening years. It could have been foreseen in 1986 a paper was presented at the IEEE Ultrasonics Symposium entitled Ultrasonic pin scanning microscope a new approach to ultrasonic microscopy (Zieniuk and Latuszek 1986,1987). With the advent of atomic force microscopy, it proved possible to combine the nanometre-scale spatial resolution of scanning probe microscopy with the sensitivity to mechanical properties of acoustic microscopy. The technique became known as ultrasonic force microscopy, and has been joined by cognate techniques such as atomic force acoustic microscopy, scanning local-acceleration microscopy, and heterodyne force microscopy. 

Following the publication of the first edition of Acoustic microscopy, two volumes were published of Advances in acoustic microscopy (Briggs 1995 Briggs and Arnold 1996). In these some of the concepts and applications were further developed, and new topics were introduced. Those two volumes serve as supplements to the second edition the material in them has not been repeated, though in a few places reference has been made to chapters in them. The main addition in this second edition is the chapter on ultrasonic force microscopy and related techniques. We trust that Acoustic microscopy will continue to serve as a helpful resource for further generations of microscopists who wish to image and measure elastic properties at high resolution. 

U. Rabe, M. Kopycinska, S. Hirsekorn, J. Munoz Saldana, G.A. Schneider, and W. Arnold, High resolution characterisation of piezoelectric ceramics by ultrasonic scanning force microscopy tech niques, J. Phys. D Appl Phys 35,2621 2536 (2002). 

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