Design of Harmonic AFM Probe Subjected to van der Waals Force in the Modified Couple Stress Theory

The conventional design of harmonic AFM probe geometry is made in neglect of the effects of the size-dependency factor and the tip-sample interacting force. Obviously, the effect of these two factors on the natural frequencies of a probe is significant. In this study, the effects of the two factors on the integer-multiples relation among frequencies are investigated. In this study, the effects of the two factors on the integer-multiples relation among frequencies are investigated. It is discovered that, in general, the integer-multiples relations of the probe’s frequencies in the classical model does not be kept as the same as that in the system with the effect of the size-dependency factor under the same material and geometry properties of probe. In addition, when the probe is used to measure the sample, the deviation of the relations will happen. The smaller the tip-sample distance is, the larger the deviation of integer-multiples frequencies is. The analytical method is presented here such that during scanning a sample at some tip-sample distance, the material and geometry properties of the probe can be tuned to the integer-multiples relation of resonant frequencies. Moreover, five similarity conditions among the systems with and without the effects of size-dependency and the tip-sample interacting force are discovered. According to these conditions, the integer-multiples relation is kept in different systems.