Intermittent microscopy (TM)
Polymer surface imaging: atomic force microscopy

An oscillation of high frequency (300 kHz), close to the spring resonance frequency (high stiffness: k = 10 -40 N/m; quality factor Q = 100 to 1,000) and variable amplitude (A_i = 10 to 100 nm), is imposed on the spring [13]. Initially, the tip is far from the surface and the spring oscillates freely (amplitude A₀). Then, when the surface is brought closer to the polymer, the tip, for each low position, comes to tap the surface intermittently (figure 10); due to the tip-surface...