Patent ID: 9541575
Date: 2017-01-10
CPC Classifications: G01Q

Claim:
1. An apparatus for evaluating one of a physical and a chemical property of a surface, said apparatus comprising a processing system configured to cooperate with an atomic force microscope operating in a nonresonant ramp mode at a ramp frequency, said processing system being configured to collect a data indicative of at least one of the physical and the chemical properties of a sample, wherein said processing system is configured to receive a probe signal indicative of a movement of a probe at a frequency that is higher than said ramp frequency; wherein said probe signal comprises a contact portion and a rebound portion, and wherein said probe signal comprises a first portion indicative of a cantilever deflection of said atomic force microscope and a second portion that consists of second-order effects of motion of said cantilever; and wherein said processing system is further configured to obtain through processing a parameter that is indicative at least one of the physical and the chemical property of the sample based at least in part on said second portion of said probe signal; wherein the second order effects of either contact or rebound portions of the probe signal are processed to provide information about said parameter.