AFM image artefacts

AFM, like any other measurement technique, is prone to artefacts. These can arise due to the AFM probe, the scanner, the instrument electronics, from the laboratory environment, or from many outer sources. Some artefacts are obvious to experienced users, while others are more subtle. Identifying the artefacts so that they can be explained and excluded from analysis is one of the most difficult tasks facing new AFM users. This chapter explains the origins of the artefacts that occur in AFM images, and explains what can be done to avoid them.

AFM, like any other measurement technique, is prone to artefacts. These can arise due to the AFM probe, the scanner, the instrument electronics, from the laboratory environment, or from many outer sources. Some artefacts are obvious to experienced users, while others are more subtle. Identifying the artefacts so that they can be explained and excluded from analysis is one of the most difficult tasks facing new AFM users. This chapter explains the origins of the artefacts that occur in AFM images, and explains what can be done to avoid them.