OLYMPUS Cantilevers

OLYMPUS Micro Cantilever AC 240TM

Olympus cantilever with tetrahedral tip with medium spring constant. The cantilevers mechanical properties were chosen to combine oscillating cantilever AFM techniques (TappingMode(TM), non-contact mode) with contact mode applications using the same cantilever. These cantilevers provide an intermediate spring constant between the TappingMode/Non-contact cantilevers (OMCL-AC160TS, C=42 N/m, f=300 kHz) and the softer contact mode cantilevers (C <1 N/m). This is particularly suitable for Force Modulation, Pulsed Force Mode, as well as for force curve studies with intermediate spring constants. When probing local elasticity of a sample using one of these modes the cantilever stiffness has to be matched to the stiffness of the tip/sample point contact.

Main features:

• Resonance frequency 70 kHz, spring constant 2 N/m.
• Tip radius <10 nm for highest resolution imaging.
• Olympus Tetra tip with almost symmetrical side angles with respect to the substrate yielding the same aspect ratio in all directions of the image. This makes special orientation of the sample with respect to the cantilever unnecessary, in contrast to many other commercially available tips with asymmetric side angles.
• Tip is located exactly at the cantilever end allowing for precise optical pre-positioning of the tip with respect to features of interest on the sample.
• Aluminum reflex coating on the cantilevers back side increases reflectivity and minimizes optical interferences on reflective samples.