ABSTRACT
The TappingMode™ etched silicon probes (TESP) cantilevers were purchased from Digital Instruments. Intermittent contact mode (TappingMode™) was used to image the gold surfaces of the coated silicon substrates using a Dimension 3000 AFM (Digital Instruments). Scan sizes of 500 nm x 500 nm, 1 /zm x 1 /zm and 2.5 /zm x 2.5 /zm were taken at a scan rate in the range of 0.75-1 Hz. The ratio of the setpoints, r s p , was set to no lower than 0.8 to minimize sample damage caused by the AFM tip.
