Preparation of defined structures on very thin foils for characterization of AFM probes

In atomic force microscopy (AFM), knowledge of the probe (tip) geometry is a critical factor for obtaining reproducible images. This is particularly important for measurements in the contact mode, in which a certain amount of wear of the probe always occurs affecting the image quality of small, flat and/or larger surface structures. In addition to probe geometry, the slope of the probe with respect to the sample is of importance. In this work, probe geometry is determined by the use of structured foils obtained using focused ion beam (FIB). In this manner, we demonstrate the possibility of determining the AFM probe geometry and the slope on the basis of differently-sized structures. An established algorithm was implemented for the reconstruction of the probes. The shape of FIB structured foils was determined separately by scanning electron microscopy (SEM).