Shear-mode magnetic force microscopy with a quartz tuning fork in ambient conditions.

We have demonstrated high-resolution shear-mode magnetic force microscopy (MFM) using a quartz tuning fork in ambient conditions. A commercial magnetic cantilever tip was attached to one prong of the tuning fork to realize shear-mode MFM operation. We have obtained MFM images with a spatial resolution of less than 100 nm and demonstrated a frequency resolution of ∼1 mHz, values which are achieved by phase shift detection methods.