Browsing by Author "Pethica, J. B."
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Item Open Access Direct measurement of interatomic force gradients using an ultra-low-amplitude atomic force microscope(The Royal Society Publishing, 2001) Hoffmann, P. M.; Oral, A.; Grimble, R. A.; Özer, H. Ö.; Jeffery, S.; Pethica, J. B.Interatomic force gradients between a W tip and a 7 × 7 reconstructed Si(111) surface were measured using an off-resonance, ultra-low-amplitude atomic force microscope (AFM) technique. The amplitudes used were less than 1 Å (peak-to-peak), which allowed direct measurement of the interaction force gradients as a function of separation. The force gradient curves are shown to consist of an attractive van der Waals part and short-range attractive and repulsive interactions. The van der Waals background can be subtracted, leaving a short-range interaction with an energy parameter of 1.9-3.4 eV and an interaction length-scale of 0.54-1.26 Å, characteristic of a single atomic bond. This correlates well with our observation of single-atom resolved force gradient images. In general, the interaction is reversible up to the zero intercept of the force gradient (inflection point of the energy). Beyond this point hysteresis tends to be observed and the onset of inelastic deformation can be clearly discerned. An analysis of the atomic scale contact gives reasonable values for the interfacial energy, yield strength, and the energy per atom needed to initiate plastic deformation.Item Open Access Direct measurement of molecular stiffness and damping in confined water layers(The American Physical Society, 2004) Jeffery, S.; Hoffmann, P. M.; Pethica, J. B.; Ramanujan, C.; Özer, H. Ö.; Oral, A.We present direct and linear measurements of the normal stiffness and damping of a confined, few molecule thick water layer. The measurements were obtained by use of a small amplitude (0.36 Å), off-resonance atomic force microscopy technique. We measured stiffness and damping oscillations revealing up to seven molecular layers separated by 2.526 ± 0.482 Å. Relaxation times could also be calculated and were found to indicate a significant slow-down of the dynamics of the system as the confining separation was reduced. We found that the dynamics of the system is determined not only by the interfacial pressure, but more significantly by solvation effects which depend on the exact separation of tip and surface. The dynamic forces reflect the layering of the water molecules close to the mica surface and are enhanced when the tip-surface spacing is equivalent to an integer multiple of the size of the water molecules. We were able to model these results by starting from the simple assumption that the relaxation time depends linearly on the film stiffness.Item Open Access Energy dissipation in atomic force microscopy and atomic loss processes(American Physical Society, 2001) Hoffmann, P. M.; Jeffery, S.; Pethica, J. B.; Özer, H. Ö.; Oral, A.Atomic scale dissipation is of great interest in nanomechanics and atomic manipulation. We present dissipation measurements with a linearized, ultrasmall amplitude atomic force microscope which is capable of measuring dissipation at chosen, fixed separations. We show that the dynamic dissipation in the noncontact regime is of the order of a few 10–100 meV per cycle. This dissipation is likely due to the motion of a bistable atomic defect in the tip-surface region. In the contact regime we observe dc hysteresis associated with nanoscale plasticity. We find the hysteretic energy loss to be 1 order of magnitude higher for a silicon surface than for copper.Item Open Access High-sensitivity noncontact atomic force microscope/scanning tunneling microscope (nc AFM/STM) operating at subangstrom oscillation amplitudes for atomic resolution imaging and force spectroscopy(American Institute of Physics, 2003-06-23) Oral, A.; Grimble, R. A.; Ozer, H. O.; Pethica, J. B.We describe a new, highly sensitive noncontact atomic force microscope/scanning tunneling microscope (STM) operating in ultrahigh vacuum (UHV) with subangstrom oscillation amplitudes for atomic resolution imaging and force-distance spectroscopy. A novel fiber interferometer with similar to4x10(-4) A/rootHz noise level is employed to detect cantilever displacements. Subangstrom oscillation amplitude is applied to the lever at a frequency well below the resonance and changes in the oscillation amplitude due to tip-sample force interactions are measured with a lock-in amplifier. Quantitative force gradient images can be obtained simultaneously with the STM topography. Employment of subangstrom oscillation amplitudes lets us perform force-distance measurements, which reveal very short-range force interactions, consistent with the theory. Performance of the microscope is demonstrated with quantitative atomic resolution images of Si(111)(7x7) and force-distance curves showing short interaction range, all obtained with <0.25 Angstrom lever oscillation amplitude. Our technique is not limited to UHV only and operation under liquids and air is feasible. (C) 2003 American Institute of Physics.Item Open Access Low-amplitude, force gradient imaging of Cu(100) surface using tunnel current feedback(Institute of Physics Publishing, 2004) Özer, H. Ö.; Norris, A.; Oral, A.; Hoffmann, P. M.; Pethica, J. B.The large corrugation amplitudes in scanning tunnelling microscope (STM) images of metal surfaces have been commonly attributed to the action of forces between the tip and the sample. We have investigated the Cu(100) surface using a high-resolution non-contact atomic force microscope/scanning tunnelling microscope (nc-AFM/STM) in UHV. Force gradient and STM topography images were acquired simultaneously using constant tunnelling current feedback. Force gradient images showed atomic resolution whereas STM scans exhibited almost no contrast, corresponding to a flat tip trajectory during scans. The corrugation height in force gradient images was found to increase as the set tunnelling current was increased. Force gradient and tunnel current were directly measured as a function of separation, to determine the operating conditions during imaging. The STM operation regime is found to lie between the minimum of the stiffness curve and the start of repulsive force.Item Open Access Manipulation of atoms across a surface at room temperature(Nature Publishing Group, 2000) Fishlock, T. W.; Oral, A.; Egdell, R. G.; Pethica, J. B.Since the realization that the tips of scanning probe microscopes can interact with atoms at surfaces, there has been much interest in the possibility of building or modifying nanostructures or molecules directly from single atoms. Individual large molecules can be positioned on surfaces, and atoms can be transferred controllably between the sample and probe tip. The most complex structures are produced at cryogenic temperatures by sliding atoms across a surface to chosen sites. But there are problems in manipulating atoms laterally at higher temperatures - atoms that are sufficiently well bound to a surface to be stable at higher temperatures require a stronger tip interaction to be moved. This situation differs significantly from the idealized weakly interacting tips of scanning tunnelling or atomic force microscopes. Here we demonstrate that precise positioning of atoms on a copper surface is possible at room temperature. The triggering mechanism for the atomic motion unexpectedly depends on the tunnelling current density, rather than the electric field or proximity of tip and surface.Item Open Access Nanomechanics using an ultra-small amplitude AFM(Cambridge University Press, 2001) Hoffmann, P. M.; Jeffery, S.; Oral, Ahmet; Grimble, R. A.; Özer, H. Özgür; Pethica, J. B.A new type of AFM is presented which allows for direct measurements of nanomechanical properties in ultra-high vacuum and liquid environments. The AFM is also capable to atomic-scale imaging of force gradients. This is achieved by vibrating a stiff lever at very small amplitudes of less than 1 Å (peak-to-peak) at a sub-resonance amplitude. This linearizes the measurement and makes the interpretation of the data straight-forward. At the atomic scale, interaction force gradients are measured which are consistent with the observation of single atomic bonds. Also, atomic scale damping is observed which rapidly rises with the tip-sample separation. A mechanism is proposed to explain this damping in terms of atomic relaxation in the tip. We also present recent results in water where we were able to measure the mechanical response due to the molecular ordering of water close to an atomically flat surface.Item Open Access Quantitative atom-resolved force gradient imaging using non contact-AFM/STM(American Institute of Physics, 2001) Oral, A.; Grimble, R. A.; Ozer, H. O.; Hoffman, P. M.; Pethica, J. B.Quantitative force gradient images are obtained using a sub-angstrom amplitude, off-resonance lever oscillation method during scanning tunneling microscopy imaging. We report the direct observation of short-range bonds, and the measured short-range force interaction agrees well in magnitude and length scale with theoretical predictions for single bonds. Atomic resolution is shown to be associated with the presence of a prominent short-range contribution to the total force interaction. It is shown that the background longer-range interaction, whose relative magnitude depends on the tip structure, has a significant effect on the contrast observed at the atomic scale. (C) 2001 American Institute of Physics.