Low-temperature atomic force microscopy

A low-temperature atomic force microscope (LTAFM) has been constructed which is capable of resolving atomic scale features both in air at room temperature and immersed in liquid helium at 4.2 K. The instrument is of a rigid compact design, using microfabricated force-sensing cantilevers, and can easily be adapted for operation as a scanning tunneling microscope. Initial results have demonstrated that the LTAFM can image the atomic surface structure of 2H–MoS2 at 4.2 K and room temperature. Design criteria and applications of the LTAFM are discussed.