Quantitative Contact Spectroscopy and Imaging by Atomic-Force Acoustic Microscopy

Atomic Force Acoustic Microscopy is a near-field technique which combines the ability in using ultrasonics to image elastic properties with the high lateral resolution of scanning probe microscopes. We present a technique to measure the contact stiffness and the Young's modulus of sample surfaces quantitatively with a reslution of approsimately 20 nm exploiting the contact resonance frequencies of standard cantilevers used in Atomic Force Microscopy. The Young's modulus of nanocyrstalline ferrite films have been measured as a function of oxidation temperature. Furthermore images showing the domain structure of piezoelectric lead zirconate titanate ceramics have been taken.