  In this work, the tip convolution effect in atomic force microscopy is
revisited to illustrate the capabilities of cubic objects for determination of
the tip shape and size. Using molecular-based cubic nanoparticles as a
reference, a two-step tip reconstruction process has been developed. First, the
tip-to-face angle is estimated by means of an analysis of the convolution error
while the tip radius is extracted from the experimental profiles. The results
obtained are in good agreement with specification of the tip supplier even
though the experiments have been conducted using real distribution of
nanoparticles with dispersion in size and aspect ratio. This demonstrates the
reliability of our method and opens the door for a more accurate tip
reconstruction by using nano-lithography patterns.
