Toward True Surface Recovery: Studying Distortions in Scanning Probe Microscopy Image Data

It is known that scanning probe image data are distorted by the geometry of the probe and its interaction with the sample. Here, we describe the application of a new method for obtaining information on tip shape from scanning probe topographic image without a priori assumptions of tip or sample geometry. The results obtained from image data acquired from polymeric and semiconductor samples indicate that this tip information is distorted by the interaction between the imaging probe and the sample surface. Analysis of a series of data, acquired at different scan speeds and forces, reveals the complex relationship between these associative phenomena and demonstrate that new methods for scanning probe surface reconstruction are required.