Affordable* Atomic Force Microscopes for Electronic and Quantum Materials Research and Development
* <$70,000
Whitepaper 2026 - Download
Table of Contents
1. Introduction
1.1. Why is an AFM important for electronic and quantum material research and development?
1.2. Reasons to have an AFM in your lab and not use a contract service or a core facility
2. Polished Surfaces
2.1. Polished Silicon
2.2. Diamond Films
3. 2D Materials
3.1. Graphene
3.2. WSe2
4. MOCVD - AlN
5. Thin Films
5.1. Indium Tin Oxide
5.2. CrAu on GaAs
6. Crystal Growth
7. Particulates
8. AFM Solutions for Electronic and Quantum Materials Research
1. Introduction
With its innovative AFM designs, AFMWorkshop offers a complete line of Atomic Force Microscopes for imaging and analyzing electronic and quantum materials. AFMWorkshop systems for these applications are available for less than $70,000—without compromising image quality or measurement performance. By combining high resolution capability with affordability, AFMWorkshop makes advanced AFM technology accessible to a greater number of research and development laboratories. This white paper highlights several application examples using AFMWorkshop AFMs priced under $70,000.
1.1. Why is an AFM Important for Electronic and Quantum Material Research and Development?
Operating an AFMWorkshop system for imaging electronic and quantum materials requires only a few hours of training. When maintained properly and used by trained operators, these systems demand little to no maintenance, making them a practical, low-overhead addition to any lab.
- Extreme magnification in the vertical axis. The smallest vertical surface feature measurable with an AFM is .030 nm.
- Three dimensional surface topograms. Unlike optical and electron microscopes which have 2D magnification, an AFM has 3D magnification.
- Measure surface physical properties. In addition to measuring surface topography, an AFM can measure surface physical properties such as conductivity and potential.
- Visualize picometer surface features. An AFM image of a surface allows direct three dimensional visualization of surface features.
- Glove box ready. An AFM can be easily deployed in a glove box to study air-sensitive materials.
1.2. Why Bring an Affordable AFM In-House Instead of Relying on Contract Services or Core Facilities
Operating an AFMWorkshop system for imaging electronic and quantum materials requires only a few hours of training. When maintained properly and used by trained operators, these systems demand little to no maintenance, making them a practical, low-overhead addition to any lab.
- Immediate Imaging
With an AFM located directly in your process lab, you can capture scans on demand, immediately refine your materials and optimize your processes. - Significant Cost Savings
After the initial purchase, ongoing operating costs are minimal. Probe replacement is typically under $1,000 per year, eliminating recurring fees associated with contract services or shared facility usage. - Full Control Over Your Workflow
An in-house AFM puts you in control of your research and development timeline. You’re no longer dependent on external labs or oversubscribed core facilities, where delays and downtime are common. You gain consistent access, faster results, and greater autonomy over your R&D process.
2. Polished Surfaces
AFM is the only microscopy technique capable of directly imaging surfaces polished to sub-nanometer roughness. It reveals critical surface features that inform process optimization.
2.1. Silicon
Thermal Oxide on Silicon
This 2x2 micron image of silicon oxide grown on a polished Si Wafer shows an Sa value of 0.262 nanometers). The line profile of a section of the surface shows a grain with a height of 1.4 nm.
2.2. Polished Diamond
A 15x15 micron AFM image of a polished diamond wafer showing polishing lines caused by the polishing methodology. In the line profile shown below, the depth of the polishing line indicated by the arrow is 1.7 nm deep.
3. 2D Materials
There are two key reasons to use AFM for imaging 2D materials:- AFM directly measures the thickness of 2D materials.
- AFM enables visualization of flakes too small to be seen with an optical microscope.
3.1. Graphene
This 5x5 micron AFM image of graphene flakes deposited on a mica surface shows the size distribution and the morphology of the graphene flakes. A line profile, shown below, of one of the flakes shows a height of 1.1 nanometers.
3.2. WSe2 on SiO2
A 35x35 micron image of a WSe2 triangle formed on the surface of a Si wafer. The image was measured in vibrating mode, and took approximately 5 minutes to measure.
4. MOCVD - ALN
4.1. Aluminum Nitride
AFM images are ideal for establishing the quality of MOCVD growth. In this 3x3 micron AFM image of the AlN film grown by MOCVD, the surface shows a parallel step-and terrace structure laden with nanopits (the dark regions).
Sample courtesy of University of South Carolina
5. Thin Films
In ambient air, AFM can directly measure the grain structure and coverage of all types of thin films.
5.1. Indium Tin Oxide
This 3x3 micron AFM image of Indium Tin Oxide (ITO) shows the grain structure at the surface of the film
5.2. CrAu on GaAs
This 50x50 micron AFM image shows the coverage of CrAu on GaAs. This image shows partial coverage and not full coverage.
Image courtesy of Howard University
6. Crystal Growth
Because AFM directly measures three dimensional images, it is ideal for visualizing the continuity of crystal growth at a surface. These two images were measured on the same SiC sample. At the left the growth is not ordered, while at the right the growth is highly ordered.
7. Particulates
Nanoparticles and particulates with sizes from 0.1 to 100 nm are directly visualized and measured with an AFM. AFM is the most cost effective technique for differentiating distributions of nanoparticles sizes below 1 nm.
This 3x3 micron AFM image shows nanoparticulates on the surface of Si. The particulates are randomly distributed. From the line profile shown below, the particles are 8 nanometers in diameter.
8. AFM Solutions for Electronic and Quantum Materials Research
AFMWorkshop offers high-performance AFMs that are robust, intuitive to use, and affordable for a wide range of research laboratories. Our innovative AFM designs emphasize the features most important for scanning electronic and quantum materials, without the added complexity and cost of unnecessary features often found in higher-priced systems.
The images presented in this white paper were measured by AFMWorkshop customers using the HR AFM and HR-2D AFM systems.
HR AFM
The HR AFM includes features such as rapid approach, a universal probe holder, a top- view optical microscope, and an off-axis optical microscope. Pricing starts at $49,777.
HR-2D AFM
The compact HR-2D AFM features a noise floor of less than 0.03 nm while maintaining a small footprint suitable for space-constrained laboratories. Pricing starts at $36,532.
The HR AFM includes the AFM Stage, control electronics, and software for high resolution scanning. AFMWorkshop offers several vibration solutions, and installation packages.
