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CIRP Encyclopedia of Production Engineering pp 1–5Cite as

Atomic Force Microscopy

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Synonyms

Scanning force microscopy

Definition

Atomic force microscopy, often abbreviated as AFM, is one of the elected techniques for fine surface and geometrical characterization. Atomic force microscopes provide three-dimensional reconstruction of surface topographies with sub-nanometer vertical and lateral resolution, over a range which is typically no larger than a few tens or hundreds of micrometers.

Atomic force microscopes belong to the family of scanning probe microscopy (SPM), a branch of microscopy allowing imaging of surfaces by means of a physical probe scanning the sample surface. SPMs monitor the interaction between the probe and the surface to produce an image or a three-dimensional reconstruction of the surface. SPMs classification is based on the specific physical principles causing the interaction (e.g., Marinello et al. 2010, 2014). When such interaction is a force (magnetic, electrostatic, friction, etc.), the scanning probe microscopes are also classified as...

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References

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. TESAF, Dipartimento Territorio e Sistemi Agro-Forestali, University of Padova, Viale dell’Università 16, Legnaro, Italy

    Francesco Marinello

Authors
  1. Francesco Marinello
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Francesco Marinello .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. CIRP Office Intern. Institution for, Paris, France

    The International Academy for Produ

  2. Université du Québec à Trois-Rivières, Mechanical Engineering Department, Trois-Rivieres, Québec, Canada

    Luc Laperrière

  3. Technische Universität München, Garching, Germany

    Gunther Reinhart

Section Editor information

  1. National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), 100 Bureau Drive - Stop 8220, 20899-8220, Gaithersburg, MD, USA

    M. Alkan Donmez

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© 2016 CIRP

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Marinello, F. (2016). Atomic Force Microscopy. In: The International Academy for Produ, Laperrière, L., Reinhart, G. (eds) CIRP Encyclopedia of Production Engineering. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-35950-7_6577-3

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-35950-7_6577-3

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-642-35950-7

  • eBook Packages: Springer Reference EngineeringReference Module Computer Science and Engineering

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