Hybrid finite-element method–molecular dynamics approach for modelling of non-contact atomic force microscopy imaging

摘要

Models capable of accurate simulation of the microcantilever dynamics coupled with complex tip-sample interactions are essential forninterpretation of the imaging results in non-contact atomic force microscopy (AFM). In the present research, a combination of finitenelement and molecular dynamics methods are used for modelling the AFM system to overcome the drawbacks of conventional approachesnthat use a lumped system with van der Waals interaction. To illustrate the ability of the proposed scheme in providing images with atomicnresolution, some simulations have been performed. In the conducted simulations, a diamond tip is interacting with nickel samples havingndifferent surface plane directions. The results demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed modelling method for measuring the surface topo-ngraphy with appropriate contrast and atomic details.