Optomechanical atomic force microscope

Nanotechnology. 2021 Feb 19;32(8):085505. doi: 10.1088/1361-6528/abc711.

Abstract

In the scanning probe microscope system, the weak signal detection of cantilever vibration is one of the important factors affecting the sensor sensitivity. In our current work, we present a novel design concept for an atomic force microscope (AFM) combined with optomechanics with an ultra-high quality factor and a low thermal noise. The detection system consists of a fixed mirror placed on the cantilever of the AFM and pump-probe beams that is equivalent to a Fabry-Perot cavity. We realize that the AFM combined with an optical cavity can achieve ultra-sensitive detection of force gradients of 10-12 N m-1 in the case of high-vacuum and low effective temperature of 1 mK, which may open up new avenues for super-high resolution imaging and super-high precision force spectroscopy.