Theoretical Simulation of Scanning Probe Microscopy

Abstract

Methods of theoretical simulation of scanning probe microscopy, including scanning tunneling microscopy (STM), atomic force microscopy(AFM) and Kelvin prove force microscopy (KPFM) have been reviewed with recent topics as case studies. For the case of the STM simulation, the importance of the tip electronic states is emphasized and some advanced formalism is presented based on the non-equilibrium Green’s function theory beyond Bardeen’s perturbation theory. For the simulation of AFM, we show examples of 3D-force map for AFM in water, and theoretical analyses for a nano-mechanical experiment on a protein molecule. An attempt to simulate KPFM images based on the electrostatic multi-pole interaction between a tip and a sample is also introduced.