Atomic Force Microscopy

The Atomic Force Microscope (AFM) is mainly used for the investigation of the true surface morphology. The high vertical resolution, into the nanometer scale, makes this technology the most suitable for this type of investigations. An AFM scans the surface using a tungsten needle. The movements of the needle are scanned by a laser and transformed to vertical and lateral movements resulting in a three-dimensional image of the surface. Since apart from lateral movements also the vertical movements are measured, the surface morphology can be quantitatively determined, see figure below.

AFM image of a solar cell.