Modeling noncontact atomic force microscopy resolution on corrugated surfaces

Beilstein Journal of Nanotechnology

Kristen M. Burson¹  William G. Cullen¹  Mahito Yamamoto¹ 

[1] Materials Research Science and Engineering Center, Department of Physics, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland 20742-4111, USA;

关键词: graphene;    model;    noncontact atomic force microscopy;    SiO2;    van der Waals;   

DOI  :  10.3762/bjnano.3.26

来源: DOAJ

【 摘 要 】

Key developments in NC-AFM have generally involved atomically flat crystalline surfaces. However, many surfaces of technological interest are not atomically flat. We discuss the experimental difficulties in obtaining high-resolution images of rough surfaces, with amorphous SiO2 as a specific case. We develop a quasi-1-D minimal model for noncontact atomic force microscopy, based on van der Waals interactions between a spherical tip and the surface, explicitly accounting for the corrugated substrate (modeled as a sinusoid). The model results show an attenuation of the topographic contours by ~30% for tip distances within 5 Å of the surface. Results also indicate a deviation from the Hamaker force law for a sphere interacting with a flat surface.

【 授权许可】

Unknown