Noncontact lateral-force gradient measurement on Si(111)-7×7 surface with small-amplitude off-resonance atomic force microscopy
Author
Atabak, M.
Ünverdi O.
Özer H.O.
Oral, A.
Date
2009Source Title
Journal of Vacuum Science and Technology B: Microelectronics and Nanometer Structures
Print ISSN
10711023
Volume
27
Issue
2
Pages
1001 - 1005
Language
English
Type
ArticleItem Usage Stats
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Abstract
In this work, the authors report on a quantitative investigation of lateral-force gradient and lateral force between a tungsten tip and Si (111) - (7×7) surface using combined noncontact lateral-force microscopy and scanning tunneling microscopy. Simultaneous lateral-force gradient and scanning tunneling microscopy images of single and multiatomic step are obtained. In our measurement, tunnel current is used as feedback. The lateral-stiffness contrast has been observed to be 2.5 Nm at a single atomic step, in contrast to 13 Nm at a multiatomic step on Si (111) surface. They also carried out a series of lateral stiffness-distance spectroscopy, which show a sharp increase in tip-surface interaction stiffness as the sample is approached toward the surface. © 2009 American Vacuum Society.
Keywords
Atomic forcesAtomic steps
Force gradients
Lateral forces
Lateral stiffness
Lateral-force microscopies
Noncontact
Off resonances
Quantitative investigations
Sharp increase
Si (1 1 1)
Tip-surface interactions
Tungsten tips
Tunnel currents
Scanning
Scanning tunneling microscopy
Silicon
Tungsten
Stiffness