Abstract
In three decades since Scanning Probe Microscopy (SPM) methods have entered scientific arena, they have become one of the main tool of nanoscale science and technology by offering the capability for imaging topography, magnetic, electrical, and mechanical properties on the nanometer scale. The vast majority of force-based SPM techniques to date are based on single-frequency sinusoidal excitation and detection. Here, we illustrate the intrinsic limitations of single-frequency detection that stem from the fundamental physics of dynamic systems. Consequently, many aspects of nanoscale materials functionality including quantitative mechanical, magnetic, and electrical measurements, probing dissipative interactions, to name a few remain unexplored. Band excitation is illustrated as a universal alternative to traditional single-frequency techniques that allows quantitative and reliable studies of dissipative and conservative phenomena, and can be universally applied to all ambient and liquid SPM methods.
