The XI International Youth Scientific School "The Coherent Optics and Optical Spectroscopy"

The Influence of Lateral Probe Oscillations on Shear-Force Images

D. V. Lebedev^a, A. P. Chuklanov^b, A. A. Bukharaev^b, D. A. Bizyaev<sup>b

a</sup> Faculty of Physics, Kazan State University
^b Zavoisky Physical Technical Institute, Kazan Scientific Center of the Russian Academy of Sciences

Abstract: The paper regards the lateral (i.e. surface parallel) probe oscillations of shear-force microscope. This type of microscopes is widely applied in near-field optics. A method of probe curvature radii determination has been developed. The dependence of probe effective radii on lateral amplitude oscillation was obtained. This dependence has a local minimum that corresponds to optimal work regime. The experiments were carried out to determine probe oscillation shape. As a result, an idea about probe oscillation nodes was proposed.

Keywords: scanning probe microscopy, near-field, shear-force, apertureless tips.

UDC: 57.012.3+534.015.1+53.083.98

Received: 15.02.2008