Atomic Force Microscopy: A Concise Introduction

This book offers a comprehensive and accessible introduction to atomic force microscopy (AFM) — a fundamental technique in nanoscience, nanotechnology, and materials characterization. While the basic operating principle of AFM is straightforward, the processes of data acquisition, quantitative analysis, and interpretation require deeper scientific understanding. Designed for readers with a first-year university background in mathematics and physics, this text builds a strong foundation for mastering both the practical and theoretical aspects of AFM. Part I — AFM Instrumentation: Explains the working principles, components, and imaging modes of atomic force microscopy, enabling readers to confidently obtain high-quality topographic images from any AFM system. Part II — Force-Curve Acquisition and Interpretation: Guides readers through force spectroscopy, demonstrating how force–distance curves are acquired and interpreted while connecting the results to underlying physical and materials science principles. Advanced Chapter — Dynamic AFM Techniques: Introduces dynamic and resonance-based AFM, using complex numbers and differential equations to explain advanced imaging and measurement methods.

Nancy Burnham graduated from the University of Colorado at Boulder in 1987 with a PhD in Physics. Her dissertation concerned the surface analysis of photovoltaic materials. As a National Research Council Postdoctoral Fellow at the Naval Research Laboratory, she became interested in scanning probe microscopy, in particular its application to detecting material properties at the nanoscale. After three years as a von Humboldt Fellow in Germany at Forschungszentrum Jülich, she spent another six years in Europe, principally at the Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne in Switzerland, all the while pursuing the mechanical properties of nanostructures and instrumentation for nanomechanics. Her international experience also includes séjours at the University of Bordeaux, Tokyo Institute of Technology, the Royal Institute of Technology in Stockholm, ETH Zürich, and the Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Science and Technology. She arrived at WPI in January of 2000 and is now a Full Professor. Furthermore, she became affiliated with the Biomedical Engineering Department in 2012 and started directing WPI's Switzerland Project Centers in 2016.

Invited, tutorial, or plenary speaker at over 50 conferences, author or co-author of over 100 publications with over 13,000 citations (h-index 39), she is as well active in professional societies as, e.g., Treasurer of the Nanoscience and Technology Division of the AVS. She was the recipient of the 2001 Nanotechnology Recognition Award from the latter organization, was a 2002 Institute of Physics of Ireland Lecturer, and became a Fellow of the AVS in 2010. Two of her articles were featured among the 25 highlighted publications for the 25th anniversary of the journal Nanotechnology in 2014, out of nearly 12,000 articles. She also enjoys teaching physics and nanoscience, from the introductory up to the graduate level. This textbook reflects 25 years of experience in teaching atomic force microscopy.