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Cross-scale high-bandwidth atomic force microscopy with a stick-slip nanopositioner

Author

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  • Xiangyuan Wang

    (Shanghai Jiao Tong University, State Key Laboratory of Mechanical System and Vibration, School of Mechanical Engineering)

  • Qi Yu

    (Shanghai Jiao Tong University, State Key Laboratory of Mechanical System and Vibration, School of Mechanical Engineering)

  • Yixuan Meng

    (Shanghai Jiao Tong University, State Key Laboratory of Mechanical System and Vibration, School of Mechanical Engineering)

  • Jing Wang

    (Shanghai Jiao Tong University, State Key Laboratory of Mechanical System and Vibration, School of Mechanical Engineering)

  • Hu Huang

    (Jilin University, Key Laboratory of CNC Equipment Reliability, Ministry of Education, School of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering)

  • Limin Zhu

    (Shanghai Jiao Tong University, State Key Laboratory of Mechanical System and Vibration, School of Mechanical Engineering
    The Shanghai Key Laboratory of Networked Manufacturing and Enterprise Information)

Abstract

The core of atomic force microscopy (AFM) lies in the ultra-precise scanning between the tip and sample, which is enabled by nanopositioners. State-of-the-art AFMs generate the scanning motion using direct-drive nanopositioners, possessing either long range or high bandwidth, but not both. Here we show that with a triple-phase controller, the high-bandwidth (up to 363 Hz) nano-precision scanning can also be performed with a typical stick-slip nanopositioner. More importantly, by leveraging the displacement accumulation in the stepping mode, the same system achieved a 3 mm × 3 mm XY working range, 1-2 orders of magnitude larger than those direct-drive nanopositioners with a similar bandwidth. We further developed a versatile stick-slip AFM and demonstrated high-line-rate AFM imaging at 40 Hz over millimeter-scale areas. This work expands the functional scope of stick-slip nanopositioners, traditionally limited to static nanopositioning or long-range coarse positioning, and offers a cross-scale, high-bandwidth solution for next-generation AFMs.

Suggested Citation

  • Xiangyuan Wang & Qi Yu & Yixuan Meng & Jing Wang & Hu Huang & Limin Zhu, 2025. "Cross-scale high-bandwidth atomic force microscopy with a stick-slip nanopositioner," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 16(1), pages 1-13, December.
    • Handle: RePEc:nat:natcom:v:16:y:2025:i:1:d:10.1038_s41467-025-65579-1
    DOI: 10.1038/s41467-025-65579-1
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