Active Probe AFM Imaging and Nanofabrication

This chapter introduces the applications of active cantilever probes for imaging and nanofabrication in AFM systems. Initially, an overview of the system integration procedure for developing active probe AFMs is provided, along with a comparison to passive probe systems. Subsequently, the imaging functionalities of these systems are demonstrated through application examples, emphasizing the new capabilities enabled by active probes. Finally, nanofabrication techniques developed based on active probe AFMs are discussed. Notably, most of the results presented in this chapter are derived from previously published research. For the sake of brevity, a principle-level discussion is provided, and interested readers are recommended to refer to the cited references for full details.