Preface to the Proceedings of the 13th International Conference on Non-contact Atomic Force Microscopy (NC-AFM 2010)

The fields of nanoscience and nanotechnology have been progressing at an incredible rate over the last few decades. The invention of scanning probe microscopy (SPM) in the 1980s stimulated significant scientific and technological advances. In particular, non-contact atomic force microscopy (NC-AFM), which is one member of the SPM family, enabled atomic/molecular-level observations of a remarkable range of materials in vacuum, air, and even liquids. In the last decade, applications of NC-AFM have extended to nanoscale characterization and manipulation. The International Conferences on NC-AFM have contributed greatly to progress in this field. The inaugural conference was held in Osaka in 1998 and it was followed by annual conferences at Pontresina, Hamburg, Kyoto, Montreal, Dingle, Seattle, Bad Essen, Kobe, Antalya, Madrid, and New Haven.

This collection of papers in the e-Journal of Surface Science and Nanotechnology contains the proceedings of the 13th International Conference on NC-AFM 2010, which was held at Ishikawa Ongakudo in Kanazawa, Japan, from July 31 to August 4, 2010. It was a successful and enjoyable conference.

We would like to thank all the contributors and organizers of this conference. Many exciting papers were presented at the conference. The topics covered included atomic-resolution imaging of semiconductors, insulators, and molecular systems in various environments including liquids, nanoscale manipulation, nanoscale force spectroscopy and characterization, Kelvin probe force microscopy, simultaneous measurement of current and force, novel methods based on NC-AFM, and related theories and simulations. A total of 230 participants from about 20 countries attended the conference and gave 45 oral presentations and over 100 poster presentations. Fifteen companies exhibited advanced and attractive products. We hope that attendees noticed the remarkable scientific and technological progress that is occurring in the field of NC-AFM and the prospects of achieving atomic and molecular level microscopy, spectroscopy, and manipulation in the future. In addition, we hope that they had a pleasant stay in Kanazawa, which is a famous historical castle town in Japan that has a variety of traditional arts, crafts, and cuisine.

The conference at Kanazawa was co-organized by the 167th Committee on Nano-Probe Technology of the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS), the Surface Science Society of Japan, Osaka University Global Center of Excellence Program “Center for Electronic Devices Innovation”, Kanazawa University, Japan Advanced Institute of Science and Technology, the Kyoto Advanced Nanotechnology Network, and the SPM Sectional Committee of the Japanese Society of Microscopy. The financial support provided by the JSPS, Ishikawa Prefecture, and Kanazawa City is greatly appreciated. The conference was run by the NC-AFM 2010 Organizing Committee and the Local Organizing Committee. The conference could not have been held without the support of the members of these committees. We sincerely express our gratitude to them.

The guest editors of these proceedings are Hideki Kawakatsu, Hiroshi Onishi, Masahiko Tomitori, Satoshi Watanabe, and Hirofumi Yamada.

Toyoko Arai

Chair of the Organizing Committee of NC-AFM 2010

Kanazawa University