NC-AFM 2026 – Scientific and Social Program 

On Monday morning, a Zurich Instruments and Scienta Omicron Technical Symposium will take place. Details are given below.

The scientific schedule of the NC-AFM 2026 begins on Monday afternoon. Oral presentations will take place throughout the week, and two poster sessions are scheduled for the evenings of Tuesday and Wednesday. 

A welcome reception is planned for Monday evening. On Thursday afternoon, excursions will be offered, followed by the conference dinner in the evening. The conference will conclude at noon on Friday. 

A short, preliminary program is available below, and the full program will be made available prior to the conference.

To minimize the environmental impact, no printed copies of the program will be provided on site. 

 

Technical Symposium on Multifrequency and Adaptive Scanning Probe Microscopy.

sponsored by Zurich Instruments and Scienta Omicron

Multifrequency techniques applied to scanning probe microscopy (SPM) are rapidly expanding the capabilities of non-contact atomic force microscopy (nc-AFM) across a wide range of applications, from ambient conditions to ultra-high vacuum (UHV). By enabling simultaneous access to multiple interaction channels, these approaches enhance sensitivity, improve the discrimination between electrostatic and non-electrostatic contributions to normal and lateral tip–sample interactions, and enable more quantitative nanoscale analysis. Adaptive scan modes can further resolve heterogenous surfaces.

This half-day symposium, jointly organized by Zurich Instruments and Scienta Omicron in the framework of NC-AFM 2026, will focus on recent advances in instrumentation and experimental applications of multimodal techniques.

The program will highlight state-of-the-art approaches to multifrequency excitation and detection (bimodal, heterodyne, and multi-harmonic), leveraging advanced lock-in amplification and feedback control, as well as their integration into ultra-stable SPM platforms operating down to 1K temperature. Emphasis will be placed on practical applications, including high-resolution imaging, dissipation and lateral force mapping, Kelvin probe force microscopy and spectroscopy in demanding environments such as UHV and low temperature.

Through a combination of technical presentations and live demonstrations, the symposium aims to provide researchers and advanced users with actionable insights into implementing multifrequency methods and adaptive scan modes for optimizing performance on modern SPM systems.

Program overview

09:15-09:30 | Welcome and introduction | Juergen Koeble and Romain Stomp
Opening remarks, symposium orientation and a concise framing of why multifrequency and time-domain methods are becoming central to advanced non-contact AFM and SPM experiments.

09:30-09:50 | Stability, Low Noise, Resolu􀆟on and Bandwidth: the ingredients for SPM | Juergen Koeble
Low temperatures yield access to ultimate energy resolutions and stability but typically complicate the accessibility for external equipment to the tip-sample region. With the proper design of the SPM platform and modularity, this accessibility can be maintained. The talk highlights the role of high mechanical, thermal and electrical stability; dedicated cabling; precooling stages; low-noise preamplifiers and signal creation; and adequate data acquisition. It also discusses frequency-dependent measurement schemes such as bimodal AFM excitation and multi-harmonic detection, including IETS.

09:50-10:20 | Tweaking the Bond Imaging Technique | PD Dr. Daniel Ebeling
With chemical bond imaging using CO-functionalized AFM tips, the chemical structure and orientation of individual organic molecules can be visualized. This invited talk presents approaches to enhance the method: constant-current AFM and adaptive feedback for imaging adsorption conformations and surrounding metal atoms in a single scan, lateral force microscopy through torsional eigenmodes of qPlus sensors, and active MEMS microcantilever concepts with integrated piezoelectric sensing for multifrequency AFM and higher throughput.

10:20-10:40 | From Multifrequency to Time-Domain Measurements in SPM | Romain Stomp
This talk explores real-time data processing and signal generation for bridging multifrequency and timedomain measurements in scanning probe microscopy. It will provide concrete strategies to optimize SPM setups and enable new measurement methods through flexible detection, control and time-critical orchestration techniques.

10:40-11:10 | Coffee break
Come and chat with the Scienta Omicron and Zurich Instruments teams.

11:10-11:30 | VHFLI Hands-on Tutorial: A New Standard for SPM | Romain Stomp
This tutorial will show how the VHFLI Lock-in Amplifier can serve demanding SPM applications, including time-resolved measurements in a single box. The new graphical workflow and complete time-frequency domain analysis toolbox illustrate how to build complex experiments from a bottom-up approach following the signal path.

11:30-12:00 | Need for Speed: Dissipation-based Kelvin Probe Force Microscopy for Quartz Tuning Fork Sensors | Dr. Marco Thaler
Non-contact AFM with quartz tuning forks enables bond-resolved imaging and electrostatic probing at the atomic scale. Conventional Kelvin probe force spectroscopy grids can reach submolecular resolution but typically require several hours. This talk presents dissipation-based KPFM adapted to quartz tuning forks operated in UHV at 8 K, increasing LCPD map acquisition rates by more than an order of magnitude, and introduces a second bimodal heterodyne approach.

12:00-12:20 | Modular and cost-effective SPM Controller for state-of-the-art SPM experiments: a hands-on introduction | Juergen Koeble
This tutorial will introduce the main features and some special modes of operation using its built-in lockin amplifiers with multifrequency operation in a live demonstration. Attendees will have the opportunity of getting hands-on experience with the core functionality and user interface.

The abstracts and biographies of the speakers can be found here.

Presentation Guidelines – Oral Presentations 

Oral presentations: 20 minutes (~15 minutes talk + 5 minutes discussion) 

Preferred slide format: 16:9 (4:3 also supported) 

Please bring your own laptop with a standard HDMI (Type A) output (if needed, bring a suitable adapter) 

If you cannot use your own device, provide your presentation to the organizers in .pptx / .ppt / .pdf format on a USB stick. Ensure the USB drive is virus-free and contains no other data. Please keep a backup copy for yourself. 

Presentation Guidelines – Poster Presentations 

Format: portrait orientation, DIN A0 (841 × 1189 mm) 

Smaller formats are acceptable if they do not exceed A0 dimensions 

No template is required 

For general poster design guidance: 

https://guides.nyu.edu/posters/poster-basics 

https://journals.plos.org/ploscompbiol/article?id=10.1371/journal.pcbi.0030102

A poster prize will be awarded, based on both scientific content and presentation. 

Code of Conduct 

All participants are expected to contribute to a professional, respectful, and inclusive environment, free from any form of discrimination, harassment, or retaliation. Participants will treat each other with respect and consideration to create a collegial, inclusive, and professional environment. Discrimination, harassment, or inappropriate behavior of any kind will not be tolerated. This includes (but is not limited to) offensive language, unwelcome attention, intimidation, or photography without consent. Participants should treat each other with respect and support open and constructive scientific exchange. Violations should be reported to the organizers. Appropriate measures may include warnings, removal from the conference without refund, or further action if necessary. Retaliation against individuals reporting concerns will not be tolerated. 

Reporting contact: 
ncafm2026@uibk.ac.at
or speak directly to the organizers: Laerte Patera, Andrea Auer, Jan Balajka, Martin Setvin. 

Adapted from the APS Code of Conduct policy. 

Photography and recording at conference 

By attending the technical symposium or the group photo session, you give permission for your picture to be published. For privacy reasons, no other photography or recording (e.g. during talks or poster sessions) is permitted without permission of the persons being photographed.