We designed and developed a high-speed atomic force microscope (HSAFM) utilizing a force-feedback scheme for imaging large biological samples. The system collects three simultaneous images: a deflection image, a topographic image, and a force image. We demonstrated that this force-feedback HSAFM is capable of acquiring large topographic images of Escherichia coli biofilms at approximately one frame per second in air. We discuss how the self-actuating cantilever and the piezo tube follow those larger biological topographic features during the HSAFM imaging process.
NOTICE: this is the author's version of a work that was accepted for publication in Micron. Changes resulting from the publishing process, such as peer review, editing, corrections, structural formatting, and other quality control mechanisms may not be reflected in this document. Changes may have been made to this work since it was submitted for publication. A definitive version was subsequently published in Micron, Volume 43, Issue 12, 2012. DOI: 10.1016/j.micron.2012.04.005
Available at: http://works.bepress.com/byung_kim/13/