In scanning probe microscopy, there are two primary
causes of tip and sample damage. Any lateral force that the
tip exerts on the sample can cause the sample to tear (the
tip plows through the sample). Likewise, lateral forces from
a hard sample can cause the end of the tip to fracture and
break off. Normal forces can also cause damage to both
tip and sample. Even if there is not enough normal force to
damage the sample, there can still be enough to deform
the sample, increasing the contact area (and the effective
probe size) and reducing the resolution of the scan. In Peak
Force Tapping, the probe and sample are intermittently
brought together (similar to TappingMode) to contact the