Effect of scan rate on AFM imaging on 3D surface stereometrics of aluminum films

Atomic force microscope (AFM) is a powerful surface profiling equipment due to its versality to work in different media and materials. The quality of AFM micrographs depends on the scan parameters, condition of the tip and external factors/noise. Proper choice of scan parameters ensures acquisition of artefact-free images and reliable topography data for surfaces. Scan rate is one of the parameters, which is seen to influence the quality of AFM image and reliability of topography data. In this article, the effect of scan rate on the topography data on Al thin films was studied. The scan rate was varied between 1 and 2 Hz and it was observed that although the visual appearance of the image does not change drastically with the scan rate, the topography data is highly dependent on the scan rate. Most importantly, the scan rate was seen to influence the data on interface width, average roughness, mean diameter, perimeter and aspect ratio. However, change in scan rate did not significantly affect the fractal dimension, mean roundness, form factor and maximum peaks and pits data. The description of the data provides insights on the optimization of scan rate during AFM profiling of Al films and other related surfaces.