Standard Guide to Scanner and Tip Related Artifacts in Scanning Tunneling Microscopy and Atomic Force Microscopy

Standard Number ASTM E2382-04(2020)
Organization American Society for Testing and Materials
Level National
Category Guide | Practice
Status
  • JAN 2004 Published
  • DEC 2012 Revised
  • DEC 2020 Revised
ABSTRACT

All microscopes are subject to artifacts. The purpose of this document is to provide a description of commonly observed artifacts in scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) and atomic force microscopy (AFM) relating to probe motion and geometric considerations of the tip and surface interaction, provide literature references of examples and, where possible, to offer an interpretation as to the source of the artifact. Because the scanned probe microscopy field is a burgeoning one, this document is not meant to be comprehensive but rather to serve as a guide to practicing microscopists as to possible pitfalls one may expect. The ability to recognize artifacts should assist in reliable evaluation of instrument operation and in reporting of data.