Sang-Joon Cho1
Park Systems Corp.1
The Atomic Force Microscope (AFM) has been a powerful instrument in nanoscale imaging, manipulation, and material property characterization. The capability of AFM allows repeated and reliable surface topography measurements in three dimensions with subnanometer resolution. Additional information, such as nanomechanical, electrical, magnetic, or even chemical information, can be obtained simultaneously, yielding a vast array of data from a single instrument with minor hardware and electronic system variations and adding software features. However, AFM is also known to be complex in operation and analysis. There are too many parameters to control and variables to influence the data. Tip-sample interactions are affected by the tip's material and shape and the environmental conditions such as vibration, temperature, humidity, noise, vibration, and system leveling. However, the importance of AFM analysis is growing due to the vital necessity to investigate and characterize innovative nanomaterials. Finding new materials with innovative characteristics at the nanoscale has helped guide many industries to grow. The newly found materials have contributed to breakthroughs in energy, the semiconductor industry, and life science, to name a few. Recently introduced artificial intelligence and robotics solutions could greatly simplify the complex operation of AFM and help upgrade the quality of AFM data. AFM must be robust and easy to use in many areas to expand its use. To do that, AFM operation and data management should be automated and categorized by AI to expand its usability further. We introduced the various AFM automation technologies, including probe exchange, probe identification, beam alignment, sample location, tip approach, and possible AI applications. In addition, the new optomechanical design increases data quality and measurement precision. The automation of AFM could open the door to new ways to control the development of the material's facets, dramatically boost its productivity, and drive innovation across the field of nanometrology.