Development of bio-microwave atomic force microscopy and noninvasive measurement of cell activity

发展了一种能够同时在亚纳米尺度上研究细胞表面形貌和电学性质的新型显微镜。微波原子力显微镜(M-AFM)是扫描探针显微镜原理和微波测量技术的结合。M-AFM探头的波导结构允许微波信号通过探头传播并从探头的尖端发射。基于理论分析和测量的微波信号幅度和相位信息，M-AFM可以在亚纳米尺度上实现对电池局部电导率和介电常数的定量表征。

A novel microscopy which is capable of investigating surface topography and electrical property of cells simultaneously on a sub-nanometer scale was developed. The microwave atomic force microscopy(M-AFM) is a combination of the principles of the scanning probe microscope and the microwave-measurement technique. The waveguide structure of the M-AFM probe allows microwave signals to propagate through the probe and emit from the tip of it. Based on the theoretical analysis and the measured amplitude and phase information of microwave signals, M-AFM can implement the quantitative characterization of the local conductivity and permittivity of cells on the sub-nanometer scale.