This article describes an atomic force microscope (AFM) that can operate in any scanning electron microscope (SEM) or SEM combined with a focused ion-beam (FIB) column. The combination of AFM, SEM imaging, energy-dispersive X-ray spectrometry (EDX), FIB milling, and nanofabrication methods (field-emission scanning probe lithography, tip-based electron beam induced deposition, and nanomachining) provides a new tool for correlative nanofabrication and microscopy. Piezoresistive, thermo-mechanically actuated cantilevers (active cantilevers) are used for fast imaging and nanofabrication. Thus, the AFM with active cantilevers integrated into an SEM (AFMinSEM) can generate and characterize nanostructures in situ without breaking vacuum or contaminating the sample.

Owing to robust and optimal specification, model predictive control method has received wide attentions over recent years. Since in certain operational conditions, an Atomic/scanning Force Microscope (AFM) shows chaos behavior, the chaos feedback control of the AFM system is considered. According to the nonlinear model of forces interacting between the tip of micro cantilever and the substrate of AFM; the nonlinear control methods are proposed. In the paper, the chaos control of a micro cantilever AFM based on the nonlinear model predictive control (NMPC) technique is presented. Through software simulation results, the effectiveness of the designed NMPC of the AFM is assessed. The simulation results together with analytical stability proofs indicate that the proposed method is effective in keeping the system in a stable range.

In this paper, the process of pushing rough cylindrical micro/nanoparticles on a surface with an atomic force microscope (AFM) probe is investigated. For this purpose, the mechanics of contact involving adhesion are studied first. Then, a method is presented for estimating the real area of contact between a rough cylindrical particle (whose surface roughness is described by the Rumpf and Rabinovich models) and a smooth surface. A dynamic model is then obtained for the pushing of rough cylindrical particles on a surface with an AFM probe. Afterwards, the process is simulated for different particle sizes and various roughness dimensions. Finally, by reducing the length of the cylindrical particle, the simulation condition is brought closer to the manipulation condition of a smooth spherical particle on a rough substrate, and the simulation results of the two cases are compared. Based on the simulation results, the critical force and time of manipulation diminish for rough particles relative to smooth ones. Reduction in the aspect ratio at a constant cross-section radius and the radius of asperities (height of asperities based on the Rabinovich model) results in an increase in critical force and time of manipulation.

Three-dimensional atom probe tomography (APT) is successfully used to analyze the near-apex regions of an atomic force microscope (AFM) tip. Atom scale material structure and chemistry from APT analysis for standard silicon AFM tips and silicon AFM tips coated with a thin film of Cu is presented. Comparison of the thin film data with that observed using transmission electron microscopy indicates that APT can be reliably used to investigate the material structure and chemistry of the apex of an AFM tip at near atomic scales.