This chapter includes fundamental aspects such as comparison between linear and nonlinear detection, deflection and torsion, frequency sweep and tracking. The concept of ultrasonic atomic force microscopy (UAFM) is as follows: the principle is effective enhancement of cantilever stiffness using higher deflection mode. Experimentally, it was shown that the vibration spectra of UAFM and related techniques are strongly dependent on the excitation power of the cantilever vibration. The subsurface dislocations in layered crystals using the amplitude image and the resonance frequency image are observed. The author proposes a possible model to explain this motion. Though the dislocation was observed with a width of several tens nm, it was caused by the subsurface structure accompanied by edge dislocation due to the shape variation of the resonance spectrum. Finally, this measurement was applied to the evaluation of an electrode of a microelectronic device and its validity was shown.

Controlled Vocabulary Terms

atomic force microscopy; cantilevers; elastic constants; torsion