High Speed Contact-Resonance Tracking using Brownian motion

Abstract

Contact-resonance atomic force microscopy (CR-AFM) provides nanoscale maps of contact stiffness, dissipation, and electromechanical response, but conventional piezoacoustic excitation can obscure the cantilever resonance with actuator and sample-holder modes. Pure Brownian excitation avoids this transfer-function background, yet its small amplitude generally requires averaging that is incompatible with routine imaging. We introduce interferometric dual-AC resonance tracking (iDART), which combines quadrature-phase differential interferometry with two-frequency resonance tracking. By positioning the interferometric spot near the displacement maximum of the first contact-resonance mode, the detector noise floor is reduced below the off-resonance thermal displacement of the cantilever. Brownian spectra identify the contact mode and define the tracking frequencies, while active electrical excitation provides the signal-to-noise ratio required for pixel-resolved imaging. Simultaneous low-frequency and resonant measurements show that both electrical and photothermal drive increases contrast in the amplitude and phase channels without appreciably shifting the contact resonance. These results establish a practical route to resonance-enhanced, drive free nanomechanical imaging at conventional AFM scan rates.